The Legend of Arcceonn Gen 6
by Raynar K'Tal
Summary: Fifteen years after Raynar K'Tal vanquished Cyclone, a new, far greater threat appears from the shadows, and after a devastating attack, Raynar must send his daughter: Sarah, and two of his former enemies on a quest to find the one who can end the threat.
1. TitleDisclaimer

Pokémon and any references I may have used are in no way mine and belong to their respective owners. Character names, personae, the story, and pretty much everything else (including the double tri-spear weapon concept) are my property and therefore consult me if you should desire to use them. If anybody notices any copyright infringement, I did not know about it, and if you have a problem with that, f*** off! (Please excuse my language; this is to let you know how much I hate idiots)

**The Legend of Arcceonn**

**Generation 6: Sarah, the Guardian**

Written by Raynar K'Tal

Edited by Poketoa K'Tal Publishing Co. Ltd.


	2. Chapter 1: The Storm Returns

Chapter 1 – The Storm Returns

_It has been fifteen years since Raynar K'Tal vanquished Cyclone and defeated Mewtwo on Wyvern Isle. Since then, Raynar has been raising a family with his childhood sweetheart, Eva. Now, their daughter, Sarah, is on a collision course with the same destiny each generation of her family had been forced to carry out, when the same enemies Raynar thought had been defeated return with a vengeance…_

The sun was high overhead and the weather was calm over the newly renamed Arcceonn City, formerly known as Explorer Station Two. The ancient capital city of the lost kingdom had been greatly rebuilt, save the fortress which was still being surveyed before construction could begin, but none of that mattered to most of the inhabitants, whom lived relatively peaceful lives since Raynar K'Tal defeated Cyclone; the Lucario was now a city official, and was in charge of security and law enforcement. It was at moments like this when Raynar would lie down on a grassy slope, relax, and watch the clouds as they moved slowly overhead. Life was extremely peaceful, almost too peaceful, and in a way, Raynar almost wished that Cyclone were still around for him to fight; it was rare for him even to fight a criminal in Arcceonn City, as the crime rate there was virtually nil. This was somewhat stressful for him to comprehend, given he was use to fighting for his life on a day-to-day basis. It was at that moment he felt a familiar aura approaching; it was that of his daughter, Sarah.

"I knew I'd find you here Dad" she said as she walked over and sat down next to him, "whatcha doing?" Raynar sat up and stretched his arms, having been woken up from his daydream; his daughter, a shiny Gardevoir, had the looks and witt of her mother, but had Raynar's indomitable will. He knew that Sarah mostly spent time with him because there wasn't much else to do. "What I usually do…" Raynar answered, "Just…thinking of what else I could be doing." Sarah chuckled slightly at the remark; her Father always had a way to make her smile, even if she was having a really bad day. "So…what's on your mind?" she asked. "Oh…just the fact that I'm bored…" Raynar replied with complete honesty, "I mean, I'm used to having to fight for my life, not…this lifestyle…I almost wish that something would happen, just every once in a while." Sarah turned towards the ocean, sighed, and replied, "well, you told me once before, don't let things happen to you, make them happen!" "Yeah, but I think it wouldn't be right for me to start an insurgency just so I can end it" Raynar replied with a subtle grin. Sarah laughed and replied, "Well, I guess that wouldn't make that much sense now would it?" "No, it wouldn't…" Raynar replied, "but you know something Sarah, fate works in mysterious ways, and sometimes, you find something unexpected in the form of what you least expect it to be." Sarah tilted her head slightly to the side and asked, "What does that mean Dad?" "Patience Sarah" Raynar replied, "It's not something you can be told, but something you must discover for yourself." Sarah rolled her eyes, knowing Raynar's tendencies to use proverbs, metaphors and hyperbole when trying to teach a lesson; it made him sound something like a fortune teller, in that meant different things to different people. "Okay Dad, whatever you say" Sarah replied as she turned back towards the sea.

The two of them remained in silence for several minutes after Raynar's lecture, giving the air a seemingly tense feel to it, but it wasn't because of the semi-awkward silence between them. Raynar had his arms folded with a visible scowl on his face, which Sarah took note of; "Dad, what's wrong?" she asked. "I don't know Sarah, but it feels like something's about to happen, but I'm not sure what…" Raynar replied. Sarah was about to ask another question when suddenly there was a massive explosion, causing the ground to shake from the shockwave. "What the…what was that!" Raynar exclaimed in shock. "Raynar!" somebody shouted from the top of the hill. Andre McKnight, an Absol with as dynamic of a history as Raynar's, ran down to Raynar's side, flanked on either side by the two ex-Cyclone operatives, Cade and Darman, now part of the Arcceonn City Security Force after a four year incarceration over a decade ago. "What's going on Andre, what caused the explosion!" Raynar shouted frantically. "Raynar, we're under attack by an unknown force of undetermined strength" Cade answered, "probably terrorists, or worse." Raynar nodded before turning around to face his daughter; "Sarah, stay here till I return" he said as calmly as he could. "No Dad, I'm not gonna let you get hurt!" Sarah shouted in protest. "I don't wanna hear it Sarah, _stay here_!" Raynar replied as he ran up the hill in the direction of Arcceonn City. Sarah watched him go in irritation; _Aw screw this! If you wanna get blown up, that's your problem, but I'm not gonna watch anyone die if I can say something about it!_ Sarah thought angrily as she teleported.

Sarah arrived in the middle of the city, horrified at what had occurred; a massive crater had formed where what appeared to have been a bomb had gone off, and the buildings around it, all engulfed in flames. "Who could've done this?" Sarah muttered in astonishment when she saw a Magmortar and two Houndoom running into an alley. "Hey you!" Sarah shouted, "What's going on here! What happened!" The Magmortar and Houndoom spun around in shock; "We've been caught!" exclaimed the Magmortar. Sarah was shocked; she had just found out the ones whom had caused this mayhem, and even as forgiving as she was, she couldn't let them go. That plus the fact that she was in mortal danger gave her an adrenaline rush as she readied to fight. "So _you_ did this!" Sarah shouted angrily. "You catch on quick, Kid" a familiar voice said from above; Sarah looked up only to see a winged figure she identified as a Gliscor drop in front of her, facing the three fire types. "But you're not fighting alone!" said the ex-assassin, Razon "the Dagger" Nachturne. "Well Razon, you really _did_ change sides!" the Magmortar sneered, "but that doesn't change anything, we've served our purpose!" "I may only have one eye, but that's all I need to see to it that you're taken out for keeps!" Razon shot back angrily before looking over his shoulder to Sarah, "Kid, you know I'm gettin' old for this type of business, so I'll need you to fight with me. I'll take the Houndooms, you take the Magmortar!" Sarah was still a bit shocked but nodded in reply and psyched herself up for a battle. "Alright then, so that's how it's gonna be, and that too is fine…" Magmortar said, pointing at Razon, "but you won't stop us!" The Houndooms leapt at Razon whilst Magmortar moved towards Sarah; the battle had begun.

The Magmortar was the first to attack with a Fire Punch, assuming that he would be fast enough to strike his less experienced adversary with a physical attack. Sarah, on the other hand, remembered the rigorous self-defense training Razon had given her years ago and immediately teleported away. The Magmortar stopped and searched frantically around for his opponent until he felt himself being launched head-first into a building; Sarah had teleported behind him and had flung him forward using Psychic. Infuriated at her tripping him up, the Magmortar quickly stood back up and retaliated with Focus Blast; Sarah teleported again to evade that strike as it slammed into a building, completely demolishing it as well as the one behind it. _Whoa, she's fast!_ The Magmortar thought, _I'll have to revise my strategy…I know!_ "Tell me Kid, how is it you think you can fight us!" he taunted, "Even Raynar K'Tal failed to _completely_ defeat us!" Sarah, having teleported behind the collapsed remains of a wall, was trembling from fear upon realizing what her foe was implying. "So how do you expect to win this, weakling!" Sarah teleported out of her hiding spot, irritated almost to the point of losing control at her enemy's taunts. "Then I'll just have to show you what Raynar K'Tal's _daughter_ can do!" Sarah shouted furiously as she unleashed her own Focus Blast. The Magmortar cried out as he was slammed by the attack into another building, through the wall and into the room beyond. He knew now he was beaten. "You know, there's a bit of advice Razon once told me" Sarah said as she teleported into the room, "Float like a Butterfree…" She suddenly came up and slammed a Thunderpunch into his chest, the shock from which knocked him out. "Sting like a Beedrill!"

It had taken Raynar, Andre, Cade and Darman quite a while to find and detain several of the attackers, all of whom confirmed that there were others that had escaped. By the time they reached the city center, they were hardly surprised to see Razon sitting on some rubble, with two defeated Houndooms at his feet. "Nice going Razon, you didn't kill them for once!" Cade exclaimed sarcastically. "Oh, the one responsible for the victory wasn't me" Razon replied with a wide grin, "there was still one more than someone else took care of." Raynar raised his eyebrow in suspicion and asked, "Who might this 'someone else' be?" "Her" Razon replied, pointing towards a collapsed building, from the direction of which Sarah was approaching them. "Sarah!" Raynar exclaimed as he ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, "You're not hurt are you!" "Relax Dad, I'm fine!" Sarah replied with her usual smile. "That was quite the performance Sarah" Razon said as he glided over to them and landed on another piece of rubble, "you sure showed that Magmortar to blow up a bomb in _our_ city!" Raynar suddenly turned towards Razon and exclaimed, "What! My daughter fought a Magmortar!" "More like pulverized!" Darman shouted as he and Cade dragged the unconscious Magmortar from the building he had landed in, "by the looks of it, the fight was no contest! Sarah completely overpowered him!" Raynar looked at the Magmortar, then at Razon, then at Sarah and back at the Magmortar in stunned silence. "How in Arceus' name did you do that without getting a scratch!" Andre exclaimed. "Easy, I teleported!" Sarah replied with a wide grin. At this Raynar couldn't help but laugh, as his wife, Eva, was known to use that tactic in battles all the time, and was the reason she won a majority of the practice battles she and Raynar had with each other, even when Raynar wasn't going easy on her. "Well Sarah, I'm just glad you're safe" Raynar replied, "now c'mon, let's go to the Police Station, I have a meeting to attend there anyways."

At the Police Station, Raynar stood at a table with Eva, Sarah, Andre, Razon, Cade and Darman to overview what had just occurred. "I have finished interrogating the prisoners" Cade said in a stern tone reflecting his militaristic background, "Apparently they were advance operatives of an insurgent group called Neo-Cyclone, which is a reorganized embodiment of the organization Raynar defeated fifteen years ago." He cleared his throat before continuing, "And it gets better. It seems their goal is not to revive the Wyvernian Empire, but something far more dangerous; they keep speaking of 'purging the World of its injustices' and all sorts of related nonsense." Raynar was taken aback by this, which worried everyone in the room. "Anything along that has the words 'Purge' and 'World' in it has disaster written all over it" Razon exclaimed, "and I can tell just by the strength of the operatives I encountered that even Raynar isn't not strong enough to fight them, we'll need a whole _army_ if we want to even stand a chance!" Raynar nodded in agreement before closing his eyes as he thought. Suddenly, he had an epiphany; there might be one being out there that he knows that could be strong enough to defeat this new threat, assuming he doesn't try to kill _him_ first. "There's one hope" Raynar suddenly said, "Cade, Darman, do remember Project XM-2?" "Hold it Raynar, don't even go there!" Darman exclaimed frantically, "Mewtwo wouldn't want anything to _do_ with us, and the only one he _might_ consider talking to is _you_, but we need you back here!" Raynar started thinking again when he arrived upon a conclusion that he knew nobody in the room would like, but was the only option.

"Then Sarah will go find Mewtwo" Raynar said suddenly, causing everyone in the room to jump back in shock. "Raynar, we can't do that!" Eva replied, "she could be _killed_ if she goes after him alone!" "Who said she's going alone?" Raynar replied with a mischievous grin before gesturing towards Cade, "Because you and Darman will go with her!" "What! No Way!" the Scizor shouted, "We are _not_ going after Mewtwo with your daughter, then all _three_ of us will get killed!" "C'mon you two, please?" Sarah pleaded, looking up at them with the cutest face she could make. "Aw, not with face…no!" Cade replied, "there is no way we're going, end of story!"

"I can't believe we're going after Mewtwo!" Cade shouted angrily. "Relax Cade" Darman said flatly, "I'm sure there's a possibility Mewtwo's mellowed out a bit…" "Right! We'll have to see when we meet him, now won't we!" Cade replied sarcastically. "C'mon you Wimp, he can't be _that_ bad!" Sarah exclaimed, "Now c'mon! Let's go!" With a sigh, Cade and Darman each placed their gear on their back and followed Sarah out of the gate to parts unknown. However, like Sarah's father said, fate works in mysterious ways, and sometimes you find something unexpected in the form of what you least expect it to be.


	3. Chapter 2: Ambush

Chapter 2 – Ambush

_Sarah K'Tal and the two former Cyclone operatives Cade and Darman have set off in search of the elusive Mewtwo, whose power, in theory, borders on absolute, assuming Mewtwo can control that power. The three of them don't necessarily work that well together, but they won't have much of a choice, especially once they discover that Neo-Cyclone is already aware of what they're doing, and will do whatever is necessary to stop them…_

"I assume you have some idea where to start looking?" Cade said to Sarah in a half-whining, half-sarcastic tone. Sarah had been leading Cade and Darman down a seldom used path for quite some time now, and yet they seemed to be going in circles. "Do you have any suggestions?" Sarah replied with a subtle hint at annoyance. "Actually, if I were trying to do everything I could to avoid contact with civilization" Darman replied, "I'd hide in the most remote location possible, which in this case means somewhere on the Eastern half of the region." "Yeah, and that's a _lot_ of ground to cover, so we'd better get moving" Cade added bitterly, "besides, the tree line's too thick for me to scout ahead from the air, I wouldn't be able to see a thing down below!" "Or…maybe we should try seeing with more than just our eyes…" Sarah replied as she closed her eyes and calmed herself, reaching out to her surroundings, sensing everything around her at an ever expanding distance. "What's she doing?" Cade asked. "I don't know, but perhaps it's some type of telepathy that allows her to scan her environment" Darman replied, "much like radar actually."

Sarah suddenly opened her eyes and froze, remaining absolutely still, which Cade took as a sign of danger. He had enough sense to bring his old headset with him, and so he activated the thermal imaging scope, and was hardly surprised to pick up two heat signatures, approaching at high speed from the front and to either side. "Sarah, duck!" Cade shouted as he and Cade leapt out of the way as one of the assailants lunged, and missed them; Sarah teleported just as the second appeared, reappearing next to Cade and Darman. Their attackers were a Luxray and a Toxicroak, and both appeared to be highly skilled when it came to battling. "Argus, Vance, should've known it'd be you to attack us" Cade said coldly upon realizing it was someone he knew. "You should've joined us while you had the chance Cade; you would've been a valuable asset given your experience and training" replied Argus, the Luxray. "Both Darman and I have told you before; we want no part of this Neo-Cyclone you're part of!" Cade shot back angrily. "Hehehe…too bad, because anyone that gets in the way of our objectives will be dealt with accordingly" taunted Vance, the Toxicroak, as he moved into a fighting stance. "These guys are pushovers" Sarah said as she readied for the battle to come, "Let's go get 'em boys!" "Right, we'll cover you Sarah" Darman replied, "let's blow 'em away!" "Argus, let's go!" Vance shouted as he and Argus charged at Sarah, Cade and Darman.

Vance immediately went for Sarah, his clawed fist glowing purple from a Poison Jab attack. Sarah caught his fist between her hands before flinging him back with Psychic. Vance was caught off guard by his foe's sudden counterattack but having had the same commando training that Cade and Darman, he was by no means about to lose, especially to one so young. "Not bad Kid, but you're still not ready to take on Neo-Cyclone's Elite!" Vance taunted as he attacked again from long range with Sludge Bomb. This time the attack was too fast to evade or block, resulting in Sarah taking a direct hit…or so it seemed, until Cade faded into view in front of her, using his armored body as a shield. "Of course, I forgot you affinity for using Double Team in battles Cade" Vance said with a grin, "but I suggest you focus more on Argus for now!" At that moment, Argus lunged at Cade whilst being pursued by Darman. Sarah used Psychic to catch a very shocked Argus in mid-leap just prior to flinging him into Vance. "Now it's our turn!" Darman shouted as he attacked one final time, flinging massive boulders at them with AncientPower; this attack knocked their two foes flying into the air and out of sight. "Looks like they're _really_ blasting off this time!" Cade exclaimed sarcastically as he crossed his claw with Darman's scythe, the closest thing to a high-five either could accomplish. "Elite huh? If that's their _elite_, I can't wait to meet the _Boss_!" Sarah added in, adding her own hand to the salute. "You see guys, we can do this as long as we work together!" she continued, "now let's go find Mewtwo!" "I'm still not thrilled about having to find him, but I'll stay with you Sarah" Cade replied. "As will I" Darman added, "now let's head east!"

Later that day, the weather started to take a turn for the worst; it had begun drizzling, and it was expected to become a lot more intense later that night. "This is bad…" Cade muttered, "we need to find someplace dry, and preferably on high ground…" Sarah looked around for a bit when she noticed a high tree; it may not be completely waterproof, but it was certainly high, and by closely interweaving some of the limbs, the three of them could remain dry through the night; the only one who wouldn't have any problems would be Darman, as he was a water type. "How about that tree?" Sarah asked, pointing to it. Cade looked at the tree for a few seconds and replied, "it's as good as we're gonna get, let's go."

Within a few minutes, Sarah had managed to arrange the tree's limbs in a way it would keep the rain off of her and Cade, as Darman didn't particularly care if he got wet or not. At first, all of them remained silent, until Sarah asked, "Vance and Argus…where did you meet them?" Cade, whom had been trying to sleep, opened his eyes, stretched and replied, "Well, the four of us were Commandos working for the original Cyclone when your Dad was your age…" He straightened his back out a bit before continuing, "but…since they are part of Neo-Cyclone now, it wouldn't surprise me if there was another of our former comrades who is now affiliated with them: a General Dallon Lettos, the highest ranking survivor from Cyclone." Sarah remembered when her father had told her about Dallon's treachery, and that he had been, for a long time, the Chief of Special Operations under Emperor Saul; it wouldn't surprise her a bit if the deceptive Gripper pokemon was part of Neo-Cyclone as well. "But try not to worry yourself too much" he replied, "save your energy, you'll need it for tomorrow…" With that, Cade nodded off again, leaving Sarah the only one awake. _Sometimes you find something unexpected in the form you least expect…_ she thought, _what could that mean?_ She mulled this thought around in her mind for several more minutes before she too succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3: Flicker of Hope

Chapter 3 – Flicker of Hope

_It has been over a week now since Sarah, Cade and Darman left Arcceonn City in search of Mewtwo, and despite interference from Neo-Cyclone, all is so far going according to plan. Now that the trio is on the Eastern Half of the region, the real challenge begins: locating their target, who doesn't want to be found. However, it may not be long before they receive a bit of guidance to light the way, but will they find it in time, or will Neo-Cyclone catch them first? Should they choose to follow this sign, however, the danger would increase exponentially, as the true danger lies not in Neo-Cyclone, but in the one they most fear._

"Face it Sarah, we're lost!" Cade shouted in frustration. "We are _not_ lost" Sarah replied, "there's only one way the path can go, and that's forward; the last thing it would do is loop back onto itself." "You don't know that!" Cade shot back. "You don't know that it does!" Sarah replied angrily as the two began to argue just before Darman kicked them both back, one of his blades to each of their throats. "Stop this bickering amongst yourselves!" Darman shouted angrily, "we need to work together if we're ever going to succeed on our mission!" "Yeah, but which way do we go?" Cade asked when he noticed Sarah staring off in the distance, "Sarah, what is it?" "Cade, can you take me up in the air? I need to get a better look" Sarah asked in response. "Okay, but what is it we're looking for?" he replied as he walked over to her and carefully wrapped his arms around hers to hold on to her as he opened his wings and took off. Once they were clear of the treeline, Sarah pointed at a massive mountain range directly ahead. "That's where he is" Sarah said before Cade nodded and brought her back down. "Okay, so explain to me why you think Mewtwo's just ahead?" Cade asked, curious as to her reasoning although not fully doubting her judgment. "It's just a feeling I get when I'm sure I'm right…" Sarah replied, "you called it a 'hunch' during your days as commandos, right?" "Correct" Darman replied, "And if there's anything I learned from being in Cyclone, it's that one should rely on instincts and feelings on the battlefield, as there's no time to think about what to do next." Cade nodded in agreement before adding, "Well, it's as good a place as any to start looking, so…let's go!"

Although, in theory, exploring the mountains was a good place to start, that didn't change the fact that it was still a lot easier said than done; the mountains were extremely steep, the rocks were sharp, and the passes were extremely narrow, which, in Cade and Darman's opinions, was an accident waiting to happen. "Be on guard" Cade said, scanning above and to either side of them, "this is the perfect location for an ambush." "Don't say that Cade, you'll jinx us!" Darman exclaimed angrily, "you remember what happened the _last_ time you said anywhere was the perfect place for an ambush?" Cade nodded in agreement as if his life depended on it, which probably meant it must've been pretty bad. Suddenly there was a low rumble, followed by a violent tremor. "Everyone get down!" Cade shouted as he, Darman and Sarah ducked down to the ground to wait out the tremors. However, it didn't help them much when it came to what was _causing_ the tremors. Suddenly, a massive Steelix emerged from the ground, then a pair of Aggron. "Damn, this isn't good…" Darman muttered as the trio slowly stood back up, "we're on their territory, and knowing their natures, they weren't going to let them go. "You dare to trespass on our land!" the Steelix shouted in a metallic voice, "I won't allow you to desecrate our homes!" He turned to the two Aggron and nodded before adding, "c'mon boys, let's show them a bit of local hospitality!" The Aggron nodded as the three steel types prepared to attack. "Here they come!" Sarah exclaimed, not noticing that Cade and Darman each had a strange half-smile on their face. The reason for this was that Cade and Darman were reminded of their glory days as commandos in Cyclone's elite Delta Force Four; they hadn't been in a situation to be in such an intense battle since those days so long ago. "We can take them Sarah!" Darman shouted, the adrenaline surging through him being obvious in his excitement, "let's take them down!"

Immediately, the three of them on either side split up into individual battles, with Cade and Darman each taking on an Aggron, and Sarah taking on the Steelix, who was by far the strongest and the fastest of the trio's opponents. Sarah barely managed to teleport out of the way to avoid the Steelix's Double-Edge attack, only for her opponent to attack again with Aqua Tail. The attack was too quick to evade this time, and so Sarah was flung into, and through, a rock and into the wall by the intense attack. Sarah slowly rose back to her feet despite the damage she took from the attack, much to the surprise of the Steelix. "So the kid's got some fight in her, huh?" he said with a grin, "now things get interesting!" The Steelix reared his head back and lunged again with another Double-Edge attack, which Sarah dodged again; however, when the Steelix attempted to follow up with Aqua Tail, this time Sarah was ready, and she leapt over the Steelix's tail and attacked using Fire Punch. Her foe roared in protest, enraged by Sarah's defiance. "Oh, so you think that's funny!" the Steelix roared, "You won't think _this_ is funny!" The Steelix reared its head back and fired Hyper Beam; Sarah, being unable to dodge the attack, did the only thing she could do, which was counterattack. Using as much energy as she could, she launched a Focus Blast directly into the Hyper Beam, which was pushed back until she shot her hands out in front of her, catching it using her Psychic. The Steelix, astonished that Sarah was holding on, forced more and more power into his attack, hoping to overwhelm her with brute force.

Cade and Darman, despite the fact that they too were fighting, took note of Sarah's plight and were mortified by the sight. "She's done for…" Cade muttered with a tone of finality, "Oh my Arceus, what will I tell her Father…" However, what they couldn't see was what was going on inside of Sarah's mind; in her mind, Sarah stood before her long-dead grandfather, Aranam K'Tal. "He's too powerful! I can't hold on!" Sarah shouted to him. "Sarah, listen to me, you are my granddaughter, you _can_ hold on, and you _will_!" Aranam shouted back in response. "But I don't have the energy, I-I'm fading away!" Sarah shot back in despair, about to give up when she noticed that even now, Aranam stood resolute. "Sarah…you are descended of the K'Tal royal dynasty" Aranam said, "You have the same ability that your Father and I both have. Just remember, the Aura is with you!"

Sarah snapped out of her daze with a greater determination than she thought she had. She focused and pushed, forcing her willpower into a manifestation of energy, forcing her own Aura into the attack. Her Focus Blast began growing in size, and changed color from bright orange to deep blue, and, little by little, she started pushing the foe's Hyper Beam back. "What the…what is she doing!" Cade exclaimed in a mix of awe and disbelief as the Hyper Beam was being pushed back at an ever increasing rate, in turn placing a lot of strain on the Steelix. "The Aura is with me!" Sarah shouted at the top of her lungs as she pushed harder, her foe's eyes widening in horror as he was completely overwhelmed. Sarah's attack launched him high into the air, sending him crashing to the ground several hundred feet away. Cade, Darman and the two Aggron looked on in total disbelief, the two steel types immediately fleeing to avoid a similar fate. The Steelix, although badly injured, was not knocked out, but had decided he had had enough, and so burrowed underground to escape the fight. Sarah, exhausted by her efforts, collapsed from sheer exhaustion and passed out, Cade and Darman each running to her side to provide aid.

When Sarah finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring up at Cade and Darman. "Huh? Guys, what happened?" Sarah asked, feeling as if she had woken up from a nightmare. "I have no clue" Cade replied, "but what I do know is that you launched a Steelix over three hundred feet into the air!" Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief and she immediately sat straight up; "I…did _that_!" she exclaimed, "but…how!" "I don't know Sarah" Darman replied, "but based on my own observations, your attack changed color from bright orange to deep blue, and you overwhelmed him…so I would have to say it was your Aura." "My…Aura?" Sarah asked, not sure what he meant. "It's pretty much your life force, transformed into energy by sheer will" Darman replied, "manipulating one's Aura is a trait that runs in your family, but typically can only be found in certain species of pokemon, so your case is most unusual…and no, that doesn't make you a freak by any means." Suddenly, over twenty Sandslash appeared on all sides of them; they had been ambushed again! "Dammit, why now!" Cade exclaimed when another Pokemon, a Drapion, entered into view. "You have fought gallantly, and you have proven your strength" the Drapion said in a sly voice, "but alas, Neo-Cyclone cannot allow interference in its plans. No matter whom it may be." Cade and Darman looked around on all sides and realized, to their dismay, that they were completely surrounded. "They got us Sarah, we're finished…" Cade said in a tone of finality when Sarah said something completely unexpected. "Wait a second, if I can manipulate my own Aura, I can sense that of others as well, right?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, of course you can" Darman replied when it suddenly occurred to him that there might be a reason for her to ask, "Why?" "Because I sense another presence…" Sarah replied, "But its Aura is overflowing with hostility and anger…and its close!"

Suddenly, as if on cue, the sky began to grow dark, and the winds immediately began to pick up, eventually becoming so dark that the only light visible was the occasional lightning bolt. "Sarah. Look!" Cade exclaimed, pointing to a ledge high above them. There was somebody standing there, watching what was happening, but for what reason. The Drapion had also noticed him, and shouted, "Identify yourself now! Show yourself!" "I do not answer to the likes of you, nor do I answer to anyone!" replied a deep voice that everyone there could hear. Everyone looked around, trying to identify the source when they realized it was the one on the ledge. "I was manipulated once before, it won't happen again!" the voice shouted angrily as a pair of glowing blue eyes became visible on the face of the stranger. It raised its arms to either side, tearing several boulders lose from the side of the mountain with its telekinesis, then threw them at the Sandslash below, knocking away all but two. It suddenly leapt skywards and came down a few seconds later not too far behind Drapion, its features finally in view of those there. Most failed to recognize him, but Cade and Darman nearly panicked at the sight of an old face that was one they frequently saw in nightmares. "It's Mewtwo! We found him!" Cade exclaimed. "XM-2, I knew we would come across you sooner or later" the Drapion said with a grin, "and I've heard your power is great." Mewtwo suddenly stuck out his hand and made a pushing motion, launching both the Sandslash and Drapion backwards using a Psychic attack. "I don't appreciate flattery" Mewtwo said coldly, "And the only reason why you would want to find me…is to try and take control of my power…well, that's the last mistake you'll ever make…" The three pokemon's eyes widened in fear, realizing that Mewtwo had no intention on letting them leave alive.


	5. Chapter 4: Mewtwo's Return

Chapter 4 – Mewtwo's Return

_After Sarah discovered her ability to manipulate Aura as a form of energy, the trio was ambushed by a Neo-Cyclone Patrol. Already exhausted from the last battle, it appeared they were finished this time, when suddenly the patrol was viciously attacked by no one other than the Ultimate Weapon himself; Mewtwo has returned. However, as Mewtwo prepares to completely annihilate three Neo-Cyclone grunts, Sarah will attempt the unthinkable: challenging Mewtwo to a battle…_

Sarah, Cade and Darman looked on in horror; if Mewtwo followed through with his threat, there would be a massacre! "We should get out of here before mayhem ensues" Cade muttered. "I concur" Darman replied as the two were about to leave when suddenly they noticed Sarah had vanished. "What the…where'd she go!" Cade exclaimed when he suddenly realized it wouldn't take long to find out. Mewtwo, on the other hand, had a Shadow Ball at full charge, ready to finish the Neo-Cyclone operatives; he fired the Shadow Ball when suddenly a shiny Gardevoir teleported between the attack and the operatives before deflecting it away with a powerful psychic shield. "Oh no…" Cade said in despair when he realized that, too late, Sarah was attempting to confront Mewtwo. "Stop this, now!" Sarah shouted, "You don't have to kill them!" "What the…and who are you to interfere!" Mewtwo replied with a tone that clearly told of his irritation. "I am Sarah K'Tal, daughter of Sir Raynar K'Tal, Knight of Arcceonn!" she shouted back with all her fury. Mewtwo seemed to recoil back a slight bit, his eyes clearly widening at the mention of Raynar's name. _Raynar's daughter!_ He thought _there could be only one reason why she's here: to avenge her grandfather, Aranam_. His expression quickly changed from one of shock to anger as he replied, "he never let go of his father's death, so sends _you_ to kill me! I'm insulted!" Sarah recoiled in shock as well, realizing it probably would've been better to have kept her mouth shut. "But if that's the way you want it to be, then c'mon!" Mewtwo replied as he leapt back, putting distance between the two of them, "we'll battle this out to the end!" "Sarah, no! You can't defeat him in battle!" Cade shouted, "You mustn't fight him!" "I can and I must!" Sarah replied with a determination neither Darman nor Cade had seen from her before, "he won't listen to me unless I do this!" Cade and Darman were about to protest when he realized that she was right and that there was no other way. "Alright Sarah…" Darman said, "Good luck…" "Show me you can surpass your limits Sarah" Mewtwo said with a half smile, "Now…it begins!"

Mewtwo was the first to attack, moving in close with his fist raised for a Drain Punch attack. Sarah leapt back to evade, doing so repeatedly to evade follow-up strikes, but one of them struck home, sending Sarah flying into the wall of the ravine. Sarah cried out as she struck the wall before falling to the ground, but she stood back up, still having the will to fight. "So you're not the type to give up easily" Mewtwo taunted, "then come and get me!" Before he could react, Sarah was upon him, having teleported right in front of him before launching him backwards with her Fire Punch attack. Mewtwo landed on his feet a fair distance away after being launched into the air by Sarah's attack. "Is that all you've got!" Mewtwo taunted, seeming not to have taken any hits at all, "C'mon!" Sarah attacked again, as did Mewtwo, their attacks colliding and launching both of them back. Both recovered and attacked again, this time charging each other with Psycho Cut. The energy blades collided as the two of them got close, both of them trying to push on the other to gain the upper hand. "Give it up, you can't defeat me" Mewtwo said, "You have nowhere near your father's power!" "We'll see about that, now won't we!" Sarah shouted as he suddenly pushed, causing Mewtwo to slip ever so slightly and forcing him back several yards. Sarah attempted to attack again when Mewtwo pushed her back with Psychic, the former landing back on her feet. Sarah stuck out her right arm and made a waving motion towards herself, a silent gesture meaning, "Bring it on!" Mewtwo and Sarah charged at each other again, this time passing as their Psycho Cut attacks collided. However, at this stage, both of them changed tactics; Mewtwo launched Shadow Ball, and Sarah used Focus Blast, the two orbs of energy colliding with the two attempting to muscle it forwards with their Psychic power while pouring their Aura into their attacks, amplifying their power greatly. Mewtwo was in disbelief of his foes resolve, and he knew now that there was a chance he might actually lose. _How is she so powerful!_ He thought _is this what he referred to when he said 'Strength of One's Heart and Soul'!_ Sarah, on the other hand, was fighting just to maintain her attack, as Mewtwo's power was far greater even than the Steelix from earlier. She remembered what her father had told her, that sometimes one finds something unexpected in the least expected of forms, and so rather than focusing on her will to win, she discovered something else; it wasn't a desire for victory, but for understanding, to try and find out why Mewtwo is who he is today. For some reason, these thoughts were increasing the power of her attack, as Mewtwo felt his being pushed back. _I don't think so!_ He thought as he unleashed as much power as he could into the attack, slowing the advance of Sarah's, but by no means stopping it. _No…this can't be happening!_ he thought as the attack continued closer _I will NOT go down like this! I will NOT-_ He was cut off as Sarah's attack finally became too much, and the combined energy of their attacks created a massive explosion that flung each of them against the walls. When the smoke cleared, both were standing, and it seemed to be a stalemate…until Mewtwo fell to his knees and collapsed unconscious.

"What the…I don't believe it! What just happened here!" Cade exclaimed in total disbelief, "did Sarah _defeat_ Mewtwo!" "I'll be damned, she really did it!" Darman exclaimed with equal disbelief when they noticed Sarah was by Mewtwo's side, the latter having been moved onto his back. "What in the World is she doing?" Cade muttered when he noticed her bands on his chest, which glowed for a brief moment before fading away. "She's healing him!" he muttered as he gestured for Darman to come with him in case Mewtwo attacked Sarah when he woke up.

Mewtwo slowly opened his eyes and struggled to find out where he was, as he was still a bit light-headed, but from what? _Oh yeah…I was knocked out…but by whom?_ He thought when he looked up to see Sarah looking down at him, _Oh no…it wasn't a nightmare…_ "You okay Mewtwo?" Sarah asked suddenly. "Huh? What?" Mewtwo asked, almost sure that she was asking him is he was alright, but he had been abused so much that he found it hard to believe anyone would actually care about him. "I asked if you're okay" Sarah replied, not in the least angry by the sound of her voice. "I…I-I'm fine…" Mewtwo replied as he slowly sat up, feeling a pain in his side where he had most likely struck a rock and propping his arms up behind him for support, "but…why do you care?" "Two reasons" Sarah replied, "One is that we need your help, and the second is that I will never ignore someone in need, no matter who it may be."

"_You_ need _my_ help!" he exclaimed, slightly amused, "but after that thrashing you gave me, I'm not sure how true that is." "Because of the reason you were called the Ultimate Weapon" said a voice he found all too familiar. "Aw c'mon…not you losers…" Mewtwo muttered before he asked, "and why is that?" "Because of your potential for growth and learning" Cade replied, obviously not hearing Mewtwo's rude remark, "the Doc said himself that your power is only limited by your ability to control it, which, coupled with the fact that you are effectively immortal, gives you a power that rivals that of Arceus. That is why we need your help." Mewtwo cocked an eyebrow at them as he replied, "go on." "A new organization known as Neo-Cyclone has been formed, and they are too great a threat for even Raynar K'Tal to handle" Cade replied, "because their forces are far greater in number and power than the old Cyclone, plus, only Arceus knows of their true intent…and we need your help to take them down." "I'm not going to fight for somebody else ever again, you know that…" Mewtwo replied as he stood up and turned away, "I won't help you…" "Mewtwo, wait!" Sarah exclaimed as Mewtwo was starting to walk away, the latter turning back around. "My father once told me that sometimes one finds the unexpected in the least expected of forms" Sarah replied, "you never forgave yourself for the lives you took when Cyclone was in control of you. I know the past hurts, but it's all behind you now! You have to take charge of your own destiny and find your own purpose in life, and this might be your opportunity to do just that!" Sarah walked past Mewtwo and stopped in front of him before turning around and holding out a hand, "this is your time, will you take the chance?" Mewtwo was about to protest when he realized a fundamental fact; his life currently had no meaning, and to him it was nothing but a curse he had just wished would end, because he lacked a purpose, but this might be his one and only chance to give himself a better life, his one and only 'second chance'. "I will" Mewtwo replied with a nod of the head as he placed his hand in hers, grasping it firmly, "let's get out there and show those idiots what we're made of!"


	6. Chapter 5: Attitude Adjustment

Chapter 5 – Attitude Adjustment

_With Mewtwo now traveling with the group, Sarah, Cade and Darman soon discover that Mewtwo is, even after so long, not a team player. It could prove difficult, even impossible to get him to fully cooperate, the latter of which is the belief of Cade and Darman. Despite this, Sarah seems to see something else, and hopes to eventually understand why Mewtwo was who he was in the present, so that she could find a way to enable him to trust his teammates._

"I'm telling you, we should go this way!" Cade shouted, pointing off behind him, trying to convince a particular teammate to follow his directions. "Well I say that's the wrong direction, we should go this way!" Mewtwo shouted back, pointing in the opposite direction. "Can I suggest something?" Darman asked. "No!" Mewtwo and Cade replied in unison, both of them turning away from each other to face the opposite direction. Sarah watched the two of them squabble and shook her head in disappointment. _C'mon you two, if you don't cooperate, this will never work out!_ Sarah thought in dismay when she heard Cade mutter, "_Somebody_ needs an attitude adjustment…" Sarah's eyes widened in horror, because if _she_ could hear it, that meant _Mewtwo_ could as well. "I heard that!" Mewtwo shouted angrily as he lifted Cade into the air with Psychic. "Put me down Mewtwo!" Cade exclaimed in surprise when he suddenly remembered what had happened the _last_ time Mewtwo had been asked to put someone down over fifteen years ago; Mewtwo smirked slightly and tossed Cade into a tree. "Not like that!" Cade shouted angrily. Sarah was about to intervene when she noticed that Cade and Mewtwo have been arguing for so long it was already too late to get moving. "Boys, we'll make camp here and decide on a direction in morning…" Sarah said wearily.

Later that night, Cade and Darman were fast asleep, lying on makeshift hammocks hanging from a tree, whilst Sarah sat wide awake by the fire and Mewtwo sat opposite her, as far away from the others as possible. Sarah's gaze was fixed upon Mewtwo, as she wondered of a way to get him to cooperate with the others when she had an idea. _Maybe there's something holding him back, something that makes it next to impossible for him to trust others_ she thought, _But what could it be?_ Sarah soon dismissed these thoughts, convinced Mewtwo would never open up to her, or anyone for that matter. However, she noticed something about her new ally, not something that would help her understand, but something nonetheless; he was shivering from the cold, which told her that he wasn't truly unfeeling. _What could be going on his mind?_ Sarah thought. Mewtwo, meanwhile, was deep in thought, remembering one of his most cherished memories, the day he had met the closest thing he ever had to a father.

A young pokemon slowly opened his eyes for the first time, taking his very first breath. His vision was somewhat blurry, but within minutes it had cleared to reveal someone, an Alakazam, looking down at him. The pokemon was confused as to who this Alakazam was, but something about him was warm, comforting, and inviting. The Alakazam lifted him up in his arms and held him close before saying to him, "Welcome to the World, my son…Mewtwo." The pokemon heard the name mentioned and thought about it for a few seconds. _Mewtwo…is that…is that my name?_ he thought, _It must be my name, there's no doubt about it._ Mewtwo looked at himself and noticed he looked nothing like the one who held him now, but that didn't change the fact that in his arms, Mewtwo felt safe, and knew that no one could harm him; this Alakazam was the one who would protect him, and if necessary, give his life for him…

As Mewtwo thought of this memory, he smiled slightly, and tears welled up in his eyes, which he quickly fought back upon realizing Sarah's eyes were upon him. "You know it's impolite to stare" Mewtwo said coldly, in sharp contrast to the state of mind he was in just a few seconds prior, causing Sarah to flinch noticeably from surprise. "I'm sorry" Sarah replied, "It's just that…you look like you're cold." "Cold, hah! As if!" Mewtwo replied arrogantly, "I am not affected by heat or cold, you should know that." "If that were true, you wouldn't be shivering, now would you?" Sarah replied. Mewtwo was about to argue when he realized she was right. He _was_ shivering, and even he admitted to himself it was a bit cold. "I can take it; I've been through worse…" Mewtwo replied, still shivering despite his efforts not to do so. "There's a few blankets in Darman's bag" Sarah replied, "You could have one if you like." "No, I don't need it" Mewtwo replied when he suddenly noticed that Sarah had already wrapped one around him. "That okay?" Sarah asked as she sat back down beside him. "…Yes…it is…" Mewtwo replied somewhat hesitantly, perhaps a bit confused by Sarah's kindness, "But why are you being so nice to me?" "It's because that's what friends do, they look out for each other" Sarah replied, suddenly starting to understand that Mewtwo wasn't use to receiving any type of help from others. "Friends? You consider me your friend?" Mewtwo asked with a somewhat surprised expression. "Yeah" Sarah replied, "I'll be there for you whenever you need help, because I know you'd do for the same for me." Mewtwo didn't know what to say in reply, being confused as to what to say back. "Mewtwo…" Sarah said as she leaned against him slightly, falling asleep, "You have a good heart, but you need to give others a chance. Try and open up a little, and you may be surprised what you'll find…" As Sarah fell asleep against him, Mewtwo turned his gaze skywards as he became lost in thought once again. _She thinks I'm her friend…but…what does friendship mean?_ Mewtwo thought, _and what if that friendship becomes especially…close?_ Mewtwo shook his head slightly, snapping himself out of his daze as he began to fall asleep himself. _These are things I don't have time to ponder_ he thought, _I'll have to think about this another day…_


	7. Chapter 6: Encounter

Chapter 6 – Encounter

_As the group finally begins moving again, Cade and Darman notice Mewtwo acting strangely, as if uneasy about something. This is especially true when he's near Sarah, but neither Cade nor Darman believe it isn't possible for him to feel certain emotions, and so rule out the most likely possibilities as being impossible. Despite this, Mewtwo is almost certainly loyal to them, or at least to Sarah, but in order to prove himself, he will have to fight his former comrades, whom he has proven to have no love lost towards him. This will be an even bigger problem in the case of Cade and Darman, as they will have to confront their old unit. The Delta Force Four is back, and out for revenge._

"Looks like you were pointing us in the right direction after all Mewtwo" said a slightly frustrated Cade, "This road seems much easier than the one I pointed out." "Remember Cade, I can sense many things, including magnetic fields, so as a result, I have a well-developed sense of direction" Mewtwo replied as he floated a head of them, with Sarah just ahead of him. He had been feeling uneasy around Sarah since the previous night for no apparent reason, or at least that was his own belief. Perhaps it could have had something to do with all that lay ahead of him; he couldn't defeat Raynar K'Tal, so how could he possibly believe he could defeat an entire army? He knew Neo-Cyclone was powerful, too powerful to be acting alone; something else had to be at work here, but what could it be? Furthermore, once he finds the answer to that question, how will defeat that to ensure Neo-Cyclone's downfall? All these questions were going around in his head, but something else was on his mind, something far more pressing. Something was in the air, a feeling of suspicion and danger. "Get down!" Mewtwo shouted as he pushed the others to the ground. A pair of blurs streaked over their heads and landed in front of him. It was a Weavile and Hitmontop, one of them Cade and Darman recognized all too well. "Johnathan Matthias" Cade said, "I should've known you'd follow your father's footsteps." "Well if it isn't the two biggest screw-ups ever to serve in Cyclone and the Ultimate Weapon himself" John taunted, the ex-bandit wary of the two former commandos along with Mewtwo when he noticed Sarah and was almost certain of who she was, "You're Raynar's daughter, I presume?" "Yeah, and he told me about you!" Sarah replied angrily. "No need to get angry…yet" replied the Hitmontop, whom Sarah knew as Westley. "Look guys, we don't have time to screw around with you two, so we gotta go" Cade said. "Not yet, the party's just begun!" replied a voice from behind them. The group spun around to see a Seviper, the one that had just spoken, and a Garchomp. "Scylla…Vance…" Cade muttered. "Master Lettos has ordered us to take you down" Scylla, the Seviper, said coldly. "Long time no see traitors, but this is the end of the line for you" replied Vance, the Garchomp, "Delta Force Four, attack!" "Roger Delta One!" replied the others as they attacked, with Mewtwo pushing them back to prevent them being swarmed. "Let's take them on one-on-one" Mewtwo said, "Come on!"

Sarah was up against Scylla, and already, Sarah knew she was in for a tough fight. "You have your father's courage and your mother's looks, but none of either's skill!" Scylla taunted as she lashed out with Poison Tail, the attack barely missing Sarah as she quickly leapt away from the lethal arc of the former's tail blade. Sarah attempted to strike back with Fire Punch, but her strike was blocked by Scylla's blade, the latter of whom then slashed Sarah across her midsection. Sarah recoiled back in pain, gripping at the area she had been slashed. "Give it up child, you can't possibly fight Neo-Cyclone and hope to win!" Scylla taunted yet again. "I'm…not…done…yet!" Sarah replied as she stood up, now starting to emanate a blue energy field as her aura began building up. At this Scylla laughed and replied "So you wish to fight on in the face of certain defeat? How amusing…but your efforts are already doomed to failure!" "Like you said, the party's just begun!" Sarah replied as she charged an Aura Sphere, which she fired at Scylla. The Seviper's eyes widened in surprise as the attack slammed into her, causing her more pain than she thought Sarah could inflict upon her. "So you've got some fight in you? This is gonna be fun!" Scylla replied with a wide grin as she lunged at Sarah with Poison Fang. Sarah evaded and counterstriked with an Aura-boosted Fire Punch, which for one reason or another hurt Scylla even more. "Clever little sneak!" Scylla exclaimed as she brought her tail around in a Night Slash attack; Sarah teleported out of the attack's arc and reappeared behind Scylla before sending her flying with Psychic. Scylla hissed angrily as she recovered from the shock and turned back around towards Sarah. "You're really starting to annoy me!" she hissed as she attacked again, only for Sarah to teleport away and use Aura Sphere again, this time landing a critical blow. Scylla was knocked flying into a tree, upon which she felt herself losing consciousness. "I…don't…believe it!" she managed to say just before passing out.

Cade, meanwhile, was up against John, who was easily a match for him in terms of skill, speed and power, if not superior in each of those factors; it would all come down to who made the first mistake. Cade and John both maximized their speed and attack power with Swords Dance and Agility before staring each other down, each waiting for the other to move. "C'mon Cade, show me what you've got!" John taunted. "With pleasure!" Cade shouted back as the two leapt at each other at such blinding speed that one could barely see them at all. Both of their attacks collided with a loud metallic clang, Cade and John both using Night Slash. They pushed each other apart and began circling at high speed, each testing each other's defenses and holding back aggressive moves as they analyzed each other. Cade was the first to strike, his attack missing as John back flipped over his head and struck with Brick Break to the back of his head. Cade was knocked flying by the intense attack, but his armored carapace held firm, and so he quickly recovered. "I wonder how is it you got that X-shaped scar between your eyes" John asked, already knowing that he was the reason behind that injury from fifteen years ago. "You know why that is all too well!" Cade replied as the two charged at each other again, John prepared to attack Cade when the latter suddenly grabbed John's claws in his pincers before throwing him against a rock and following up with Brick Break, this time sending John _through_ the rock and skidding across the ground into a tree. John staggered to his feet despite the pain he was in and rushed Cade one last time with Crush Claw, with Cade charging at him as well, but just as they passed, Cade evaded and attacked with X-Scissor. The two came to a halt, and John, critically wounded, fell in defeat.

Darman was up against Westley (We'll refer to him as Wes from now on), and like his counterpart Cade, his strategy was a high-speed, all-out offense, but unlike Cade, he couldn't afford to take hits, so he had to be much more evasive. "C'mon Rockhead! Show me what you got!" Wes taunted. Darman used Swords Dance to raise his attack power before attacking with Stone Edge. Wes leapt out of the way before using Bullet Punch. To his surprise, Darman had turned around and blocked the attack, catching Wes' fists between his blades. "Damn!" Wes shouted in frustration before Darman threw him back. By the time Wes was back on his feet, Darman had used Dig, and was underground. "Hey Wes, behind you!" Darman shouted as he popped up behind the Hitmontop. Wes used Rolling Kick, but missed as Darman ducked back into the hole. Darman reappeared off to the side a few yards away and shouted, "I'm over here!" Wes attacked again, but again missed as Darman ducked back into the hole. This continued for quite a while until there were nine holes arranged in a circle, Darman popping up in the middle. "There you are! Take this!" Wes shouted in frustration as he leapt into the air to use Hi Jump Kick from directly above; little did he know that Darman had anticipated this, as this was his plan all along. He fired Hydro Pump into the hole he had just popped out of, a high pressure blast of water flowing into the tunnels he had dug. The holes were at an angle, so just as Wes was an inch from Darman's head, he was hit on all sides by Hydro Pump. By the time the water abated, Wes was on the ground, as wet as he was unconscious.

Mewtwo, on the other hand, was in a high-stakes battle with their leader, a Garchomp going by the name Falke. "Well well XM-2, you seem to have grown since we last met!" Falke taunted. "It's Mewtwo!" Mewtwo shot back furiously as he attacked time and time again, his Psycho Cut attacks colliding with Falke's Dragon Claw. Falke eventually broke through Mewtwo's defenses and slammed him into the ground with an intense attack. Mewtwo stood back up and flew high into the air, with Falke in pursuit. "Fool, you can't escape from me!" Falke shouted. "I don't intend to!" Mewtwo replied as he back flipped in mid flight, reversing his direction so that he was face-to-face with Falke before launching a Shadow Ball attack down at his adversary. Falke took the full force of the attack to his head and slammed into the ground below, but despite this intense blow, Falke stood right back up and attacked again with Giga Impact; Mewtwo teleported out of the line of fire only to reappear right in front of Falke as he came to a halt. "Dammit!" Falke exclaimed. Mewtwo brought back his fist before slamming into Falke, shouting, "Focus…PUNCH!" In less than three seconds, Falke had been plowed head first into the ground at near Mach One, although he was still able to stand back up. "Alright…that's enough…" Falke said as he grabbed each of his fallen comrades and ran off into the distance.

"Hmm…that was a waste of time…" Mewtwo said as he looked around, "Anyone from Neo-Cyclone want to be next!" "Mewtwo, don't antagonize them!" Sarah exclaimed as she ran over to him, "When we find them again, you can beat them up as much as you want, but until them, let's just concentrate on traveling." Mewtwo looked at Sarah, then back in the direction Delta Force Four had retreated in. "Well…alright, but when we find them next time, don't expect me to pull my punches…" Mewtwo said while putting a subtle emphasis on the word 'punches'. Understanding, the pun, Sarah smiled and replied, "You know something Mewtwo? You can be really funny when you want to be." Mewtwo seemed to blush slightly at this, and based on how quickly he looked away, he probably noticed. "Let's go…" Mewtwo said as he started back down the trail with Sarah, Cade and Darman following close behind. "Very strange, Mewtwo's behavior has changed considerably" Cade said, "He's nowhere _near_ as aggressive as I remember him to be." "You're right, he _has_ changed, but what could be causing it?" Darman replied as he thought when he realized what it must be, "Aha! It all makes sense now!" "What?" Cade asked. "Nothing Cade" Darman replied, "I'll tell you about it later."


	8. Chapter 7: Facing One's Shadow

Chapter 7 – Facing One's Shadow

_As Sarah and her companions travel through eastern Arcceonn, they face greater and greater trials of their strength, skill and resolve, but so far have managed regardless of the inherent hardships. However, the greatest obstacles lay not in the present, but rather in their memories; this is most true in the case of Mewtwo, but from his past he might learn a valuable lesson: If one turns to face their own shadow, their true nature will be revealed._

Mewtwo found himself in a void, completely empty and dark. No matter what he did, he could only see himself, and nothing else in this oblivion. He could tell he was dreaming, but something about it felt too strange, too _real_. Sure enough, Mewtwo was eventually able to expand his field of view until he could sense his surroundings; it was late at night, in the courtyard of the old fortress in Arcceonn City, which in his early life had been his home along with that of the elite Order of Arcceonn Knights. He was alone, the entire area devoid of life save himself…or was he? Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around only to come face to face with a figure he still saw in his nightmares. It was Lord Axxon, the persona Aranam K'Tal took on while serving Saul Dragmire I, the revived Emperor of Wyvernia. He was standing still a distance away from Mewtwo, clad in his trademark armor and tattered cloak, the blades of Exomere glowing scarlet in the darkness.

"Hello Mewtwo…" Axxon said, his voice still sending chills up Mewtwo's spine even after all these years, "I trust you're in good health?" "Why do you care? I killed you over fifteen years ago" Mewtwo replied, wary of any sudden moves Axxon might make. The Lucario smirked slightly, clearly amused at Mewtwo's remark. "Not completely…" Axxon said, "You see Aranam K'Tal and I are in fact two separate beings." Mewtwo was slightly puzzled by this, but he wasn't too surprised; he had suspected something along those lines. "Elaborate on that" Mewtwo said. "When Aranam lost his parents as a child, he was corrupted by Shadow Energy" Axxon said, "But he wasn't corrupted completely, and so two separate personalities formed: Aranam, and myself." Axxon cleared his throat before continuing, "When Aranam regained control, he pushed me out of his mind, but his shadows entered another…" "Who is this other you refer to?" Mewtwo asked, now somewhat suspicious as to what Axxon could mean. "That other is you" Axxon replied, "I am a part of you, so I suggest you keep your mind strong, because if you don't, I might take over…" Mewtwo took several steps back in horror; he knew that Axxon was pure shadow, a manifestation of Evil itself; he couldn't allow himself to fall victim to Axxon, for both his sake and that of his friends. "No!" Mewtwo shouted furiously, "I will not submit to you!" Axxon's expression changed from a smile to a scowl in response as he entered a fighting stance. "You truly think you can resist me?" Axxon replied, "Show me your strength!"

Axxon and Mewtwo each leapt high into the air and lunged at each other, Axxon using Exomere in its twin sword form while Mewtwo used Psychic-generated ethereal blades to fight back. Mewtwo broke through Axxon's defenses and struck him with his full fury, sending him flying back into the roof of one of the buildings surrounding the fortress. Unfazed, Axxon leapt back into the air and struck back, this time with Mewtwo taking the fall, landing near the edge of the courtyard. Axxon landed on the ground just as Mewtwo recovered, flourishing Exomere in wide arcs in a show of skill and power. "I know you can do better than that Mewtwo!" Axxon taunted. Mewtwo just looked at Axxon, clearly tempted to attack him outright, but Mewtwo knew better than to attack directly. "If you think you're that much better, why don't you attack me?" Mewtwo shot back. "With pleasure!" Axxon replied as he rushed at Mewtwo. The genetic pokemon had anticipated this move perfectly and had already planned a counter. Just as Axxon was about to strike, Mewtwo unleashed Focus Punch, smashing through the shaft of Exomere and knocking Axxon back, one half of Exomere flying off to the side. Mewtwo called this half to him and used his own Aura to regenerate it, the blades glowing violet from his own energy in stark contrast to Axxon's half. "Impossible…" Axxon muttered as he regenerated his half and attacked Mewtwo again. Mewtwo deflected with his own spear before knocking Axxon back, the Lucario landing on his feet but obviously injured. Mewtwo leapt high into the air and attacked Axxon again with his full fury, blowing him back. Axxon tried to get back up, but Mewtwo's rage had powered up Mewtwo to the point of near invincibility. "You leave me no choice!" Axxon shouted as he became engulfed in shadows, emerging in a form that looked nearly identical to him, but with glowing red eyes. "Face your Shadow, Mewtwo. Show me your true power!" the Axxon shouted as he wielded his spear again and attacked Mewtwo with equal power to what Mewtwo had used on him just moments ago. Mewtwo blocked the attacks, but one got through and sent him fighting. "Drown in the ever-growing shadows!" Axxon exclaimed as he fired a blast of shadow energy, seemingly finishing off Mewtwo. When Axxon looked into the crater however, he couldn't have been more wrong. Mewtwo was very much alive, and seemingly even stronger than before. "What the…" Axxon began when Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball at him. Axxon was hit directly by the attack and was launched to the top of the high spire. Mewtwo pursued, landing right in front of him. He grabbed him by the neck and started flying straight up, higher and higher until the ground was no longer visible. "I have faced my Shadow…and I have won!" Mewtwo shouted as he fired the strongest blast of energy he could, launching Axxon straight into the ground, destroying him on impact…

"Mewtwo, wake up!" Sarah shouted as she nudged Mewtwo's shoulder slightly; he had been tossing and turning all night, clear evidence of a terrible nightmare. Suddenly, Mewtwo's eyes shot open, he jumped up and punched the ground, creating a massive indentation where it had impacted. He was in a cold sweat and breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating. "What the…where did he go? Where's Axxon!" he shouted frantically. "Relax Mewtwo, it was just a nightmare!" Sarah exclaimed as he grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to calm him, "You're okay…nothing happened Mewtwo…" Cade and Darman exchanged worried glances at each other, knowing that the Axxon Mewtwo referred to was the one that had been Aranam K'Tal, dead for over fifteen years. "Axxon's shadow may not have died with Aranam…" Cade whispered. "I'm starting to suspect that Axxon's shadows are affecting Mewtwo as well…" Darman replied in a hushed tone, "Mewtwo has a much stronger but also more vulnerable mind compared to Aranam, as he is less stable both physically and mentally." Darman glanced at Mewtwo then back at Cade before continuing, "Mewtwo can feel both fear and anger, both of which can lead to him absorbing more and more of the shadows if he doesn't learn to control them."


	9. Chapter 8: Feelings

Chapter 8 – Feelings

_After having a very strange dream, Mewtwo has become more doubtful and uncertain as to what the future holds. Regardless, he, Sarah, Cade and Darman continue along their path. Little do they know that Neo-Cyclone has a plan to defeat them, and they are nearly ready to implement it. Hopefully, the four of them will be prepared for Neo-Cyclone's attack, or else their journey could come to a premature end._

"There's a clearing just ahead" Mewtwo said as he floated above the group to see ahead, "We can rest there for a little while." Sarah could barely contain her relief; the four of them had traveled an astonishing sixty miles in just over eight hours, which was no easy feat on foot. "Finally!" Cade exclaimed, "Next thing on the to-do list: get something to eat!" "My thoughts exactly" Darman replied, "I haven't eaten for three days, and only now am I beginning to feel the effects of a lack of food and sleep along with constant traveling. Just as they entered the clearing, Mewtwo gestured for the group to stop. "It's quiet…too quiet…" Mewtwo said as he focused on his surroundings. He detected five auras, four of them being without a doubt the Delta Force Four. "Your cover's blown! Show yourselves!" Mewtwo shouted. "You're mistaken, there's only one" replied a voice that to Mewtwo was vaguely familiar, "It seems your Aura-sensory abilities are not yet perfected if you fell for THAT one!" Suddenly, Mewtwo sensed something attacking him from the side; he ducked and rolled away, catching a brief glimpse of the assailant. It was a shiny Lucario, one that Mewtwo knew all too well.

"Derek!" Mewtwo exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in over fifteen years, what the hell are you doing here!" "I should ask you the same thing Mewtwo" Derek replied coldly, a sharp contrast to the mischievous smart-aleck everyone knew from over fifteen years ago. "My cousin!" Sarah exclaimed, "Why did you attack Mewtwo!" "Yeah, spill the beans kid!" Darman replied, baring his scythes for battle. "How can you think about food at a time like this!" Cade shouted angrily. "It's a figure of speech Cade!" Darman shot back, silencing his comrade. "Sarah K'Tal, daughter of Raynar and Eva Sorenson K'Tal…" Derek said with a hint at a smile visible on his face, "Raynar told me about you not long after you were hatched…I suppose you wonder what happened to me, and I'm willing to share…about a year after you hatched, I left Arcceonn and began working as a freelance explorer, and in that time I had seen many amazing sights…however, I also witnessed many an injustice, and I felt so helpless knowing that most of them go unpunished…" Sarah could sympathize with Derek's thoughts on the subject, but something didn't seem right; where could he be going with this? "But that was when I met _him_…the ex-Cyclone General, Dallon Lettos" Derek continued, "He had an image of an ideal world devoid of greed, hunger, strife, wars, poverty and all wants or needs…so I joined Ne-Cyclone as a General…and I've been ordered by Master Lettos _personally_ to take you out!"

At that, his palms began glowing, and from them extended two blades made purely of Aura. "I'll handle this one…" Mewtwo said as he readied his own Aura and leapt into the attack using Focus Punch. Derek rolled out of the way of the attack and struck Mewtwo in the back of the head with Blaze Kick. Mewtwo staggered from the blow, literally seeing stars from the force of the impact, but was already counterattacking by using his tail. Derek leapt away from the attack by front-flipping over Mewtwo and landing in front of him before striking him again with Blaze Kick, this time right under the chin. Mewtwo was knocked flying by this impact, which was stronger than the first. "What's the matter Mewtwo? Don't tell me you haven't gotten stronger since Raynar beat you last!" Derek taunted. "I've become a _thousand_ times stronger!" Mewtwo shouted furiously as he fired Shadow Ball at Derek. The Lucario raised an Aura Shield in front of him and deflected the attack back at Mewtwo, inflicting the same attack upon Mewtwo, but with _twice_ the usual strength caused by the rebound. Mewtwo was slammed higher into the air, this time with Derek pursuing and slashing him several times with his Aura blades before slamming Mewtwo back into the ground with Aura Sphere. Derek landed not too far away and smiled as Mewtwo stood back up.

"What now Mewtwo, haven't you learned that the only way to defeat your Shadow is to face it directly?" Derek taunted. Mewtwo was about to reply with a smart-aleck remark when suddenly he remembered his dream. _What is the one advantage Derek has over me?_ Mewtwo thought as he assessed his foe, his eyes coming to rest on his Aura blades. _Of course! I need to fight fire with fire!_ Mewtwo thought as he extended his Aura into blades extending from his forearm. "You're going down hard!" "We'll see about that, now won't we?" Derek remarked as the two of them attacked each other again. This time, Mewtwo had the upper hand, as he was able to force Derek's blades aside and strike him repeatedly before Derek leapt away from the last strike and fired Aura Sphere. Mewtwo used Barrier, the attack slamming into it and rebounding back at Derek, slamming him into a tree. "You're good, but I'm better!" Derek shouted as he leapt back to his feet like nothing had happened. Mewtwo attacked again with Shadow Ball, Derek launching Aura Sphere in reply. The two attacks collided in a massive explosion that launched both combatants flying, flattening nearly every tree surrounding them. Even through the smoke, the Derek's blades and Mewtwo's blades glowed blue and purple respectively. They were no more than blurs, moving almost too fast for the eye to catch. Eventually, however, the blue blades disappeared, and when the smoke cleared, a very frustrated Mewtwo stood alone, the blades disappearing.

"He ran away!" Mewtwo exclaimed angrily. "Mewtwo! You're okay!" Sarah shouted as she ran over to him, knocking him over as she ran into him before tripping over and landing on top of him. Mewtwo was caught off guard by this and found himself quite embarrassed to end up in such a compromising position. "Uh…Sarah, please get off me" Mewtwo said flatly. "Oh, sorry…" Sarah replied as she got off of him and stood back up, Mewtwo following suit. Cade and Darman each gawked at what had just happened, Cade in disbelief at what happened, Darman in disbelief at _why_ he thought it happened. _I was right!_ he thought, _That complicates things…_

Later that night, the group had set up camp and was going about different tasks, save Darman and Sarah. Mewtwo had gone to a nearby river to wash himself up and to treat his wounds while Cade had gone off to gather food, despite the fact that Darman knew where at least _half_ of that food would end up: Cade's stomach. "It seems I was right…" Darman muttered, intent on Sarah hearing him. "About what? Derek?" Sarah asked. "No…it was a tragic reunion, I'll admit that, but that's not what I'm talking about" Darman replied. "What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "You know what I'm talking about" Darman replied, giving her a knowing smile. Sarah's eyes widened in surprise; "What the…no! It's nothing like that!" Sarah exclaimed, blushing quite noticeably. "Oh sure it isn't, _right_!" Darman teased, "I can tell _exactly_ how you feel towards Mewtwo, and every bit of evidence points to infatuation!" Sarah was about to protest but was unable to find a word for a suitable response, instead turning away, blushing even brighter now from embarrassment. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Sarah, just don't expect him to return your feelings" Darman replied upon noticing how embarrassed she was from his needling, "Mewtwo is an artificial creation and doesn't have the emotional capacity that naturally born pokemon do." "He does too!" Sarah shot back angrily at Darman's insensitivity; she may have been unsure of herself, but she was still very protective of Mewtwo regardless of how she felt towards him. "Oh really? He never seems to show certain ones…" Darman replied flatly. "Hmph! You're just like all the others from the old Cyclone, insensitive towards others and grumpig-headed!" Sarah exclaimed furiously as she stormed out of the camp. "Sarah, wait!" Darman shouted, but it was already too late. "What have I done…" he muttered as he ran after her.

Sarah ran through the forest alone; she didn't care where she was going, she just needed to find a spot to think and clear her head. Soon enough, she came to another clearing where a river ran through and stopped. She walked over to the edge and sat down, sticking her feet into the water and relaxing. "I need to clear my head…why did I get so worked up like that!" she thought aloud. "It's because you were defending something" a voice replied. Sarah spun around to see Mewtwo sitting upon a branch high in a tree, staring right down at her. He lowered himself from the branch before floating down to the ground and landing in front of her. "Why did you follow me?" Mewtwo asked, "Is something wrong?" "No…nothing's wrong" Sarah replied sheepishly, "I came here by accident." "Accident? I think not" Mewtwo said flatly, "What's on your mind?" Sarah fidgeted slightly before she replied, "Well…you see, it has to do with emotions…" "You're unsure of your feelings towards a certain something" Mewtwo answered. At that, Sarah nodded in reply only for Mewtwo to add, "I can assess your feelings for you if you're willing to let me into your mind…but I need you to trust me if I do." Sarah hesitated slightly before replying, "I trust you…go ahead." At that, Mewtwo closed his eyes and began to probe her mind. He was immediately bombarded with emotions; whatever Sarah felt, it was strong. He probed deeper and deeper until he found what he sought and identified what it was.

Mewtwo's eyes shot open in surprise at this; Sarah took note of this and asked, "What's wrong?" Mewtwo, blushing slightly, turned away from her before he said, "I…need to go somewhere…" Just as he was about to leave, Sarah grabbed his shoulder and said, "You still haven't told me what you saw." "I…uh…Well…" Mewtwo began, trying to find another way out but not finding any. "Alright, I'll tell you…" Mewtwo replied, "I sensed many things; compassion, happiness, desire…and slight uncertainty…that all points towards one emotion…you know which one I'm talking about, right?" Sarah, realizing Darman's suspicions had now been confirmed, blushed even more now. "I must say…I'm flattered…thanks…" Mewtwo continued when suddenly an idea he had never thought of once in his entire life came to his head; maybe things could be taken a bit…further. Mewtwo wiped some sweat from his brow before adding, "But something tells me that maybe you seek something more." "Something more?" Sarah asked when suddenly she realized what he had implied. "I don't know Mewtwo" Sarah replied with a mischievous smile, "Let's find out…"

Meanwhile, Cade was in high spirits, snacking on some Salac Berries he had found as he walked back to camp. "Who would've thought all those berries would be right there!" Suddenly, he heard noise behind him. He spun around to find himself face-to-face with Darman. "Why did you come after me?" Cade asked in a slightly irritated tone. "I didn't" Darman replied, "I pissed off Sarah, and now I'm trying to find _her_." "You never were good with females Darman" Cade teased. "Yeah, you were the lady's 'mon alright…" Darman replied wryly when he heard a faint noise. "As for Sarah's location, I have a vague idea of where she might be…" Darman said as he turned around and walked in the direction of the noise, gesturing for Cade to follow.

Eventually, the two of them made it to the edge of a clearing only to see…well, let's not get into specifics shall we? _Shit!_ Darman thought as he pushed Cade into the bushes, following suit soon after. "What did you see?" Cade whispered as he peeked through. "You naughty boy Darman…" Cade teased in a whisper. "I knew this would happen…" Darman said when suddenly he remembered something to do with what was happening. He grinned slightly and held out a scythe towards Cade and whispered, "Pay up." "What the…for what!" Cade whispered in reply. "You remember our side bet, do you not?" Darman replied in a hushed tone. "What the…" Cade began when suddenly he remembered, and he had no choice but to pay up, "Here you go…one thousand poke, spend it wisely…" "Thanks Cade, now let's head back to camp and leave the two of them in peace" Darman replied before the two of them snuck away back to the camp.


	10. Chapter 9: Regigigas

Chapter 9 – Gigas

_Derek, cousin to Sarah's father, Raynar, has joined forces with Neo-Cyclone as their newest General. Despite the shock of this, Sarah received an even bigger shock: Mewtwo not only understood her feelings, but felt the same towards her! Despite this, the two of them must remain level-headed and focused on their objective, which as Raynar found out fifteen years prior, is easier said than done. Ahead of them lies their greatest challenge yet, for one must submit Proof to revive the King…_

"Here we are, the Cave of the Ancients" Mewtwo said, gesturing towards the entrance to a cave. "Okay…why do we need to go in there?" Cade asked, looking at the entrance with caution. There was something foreboding about the cave, something that told them they were not meant to be there. Then again, something seemed to draw them towards the cave, as if someone or something was waiting for them inside. "In here, there is someone who can give us something we may need" Mewtwo replied, "But to ensure we aren't attacked while we're inside, I'll need you and Darman to stand guard outside" "Roger that!" Darman replied, saluting Mewtwo as he would have an officer during his days in Cyclone. "Yes sir!" Cade answered in kind as the two took up positions on either side of the entrance. Sarah shook her head in embarrassment before saying, "Well…let's go Mewtwo."

Mewtwo and Sarah had barely taken twenty steps into the cave, and already, it was nearly pitch-black. "Can you see where we're going?" Sarah asked. "No…but I will" Mewtwo replied as he summoned his aura, casting an eerie violet glow on his surroundings, "Now you call on your Aura." Sarah did, the deep blue glow of her own aura also visible now. "I suggest we be careful however, as this makes it just as easy for others to see us as it is for us to see them. We must be cautious to the extreme" Mewtwo warned as he led the way deeper into the cavern, which for now was little more than a tunnel. "I don't like the vibe this place gives off…it's a bit ominous" Sarah whispered. "Don't worry Sarah, no harm will come to you" Mewtwo said sternly, "I won't allow it to happen." At this, Sarah smiled and nodded, glad to be reassured that no matter what, the two of them would look out for each other. _He's definitely commited; I knew I wasn't making a mistake!_ she thought excitedly.

Eventually, the two of them emerged in a massive antechamber, illuminated with adamantite crystals, but what Mewtwo and Sarah saw was nothing short of breathtaking. The crystals that illuminated the cavern were fixed into the tops of several stone pillars, each one carefully crafted and easily reaching a quarter-mile in height. The floor was covered in marble tiles, albeit they were cracked and worn with age, but that in of itself gave it a unique appearance. At the back of the chamber, however, stood a massive statue of a large creature, standing completely motionless but still appearing very much alive. "There is the one we seek…" Mewtwo said, pointing at the statue as the two of them approached. Sarah looked up at the imposing statue and was puzzled; how could a statue be of any help to them? "Stand back…" Mewtwo said. Sarah took several steps back to give Mewtwo some space as Mewtwo raised his arms to either side. Several spheres, one of rock, another of ice, and another of steel began rotating around him at a gradually increasing pace. As they spun faster and faster, they began changing until they had turned into an orange, turquoise and silver ball of energy, now spinning around Mewtwo so fast as to make it seem that they were rings of pure light. "In the embodiments of stone, ice and iron, I reveal my proof, and so I resurrect the King!" he shouted as the three orbs suddenly fired into the statue. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. The six circles on the statue's chest lit up, revealing three pairs of eyes, one red, one blue, and one gray. Finally, the statue began to move, taking a step, then another, and another before the massive creature let out a loud roar. The sound was deafening as it echoed off of the cavern walls, forcing Mewtwo and Sarah to their knees in agony. "Who dares disturb me? I demand to know!" the creature bellowed. "Regigigas, calm yourself!" Mewtwo exclaimed when suddenly he was grabbed in the creature's massive hand. "Mortal…do you have any idea who you are dealing with!" Regigigas shouted as he tightened his grip. "Mortal? Hah! I'm _immortal_" Mewtwo replied flatly, "So you and I are on an equal footing." "Immortal you say?" Regigigas said, pausing to think before adding, "There is only one way to determine if what you say is true. If you can battle me and _survive_, you will have proven your worth…" "Mewtwo, don't!" Sarah shouted up at Mewtwo. "I'm in no position to argue with him Sarah, I have no choice" Mewtwo said before answering Regigigas, "I accept." "Very well then…but I believe this place is unsuitable for battle…let us change the scenery a bit…" Regigigas replied.

Meanwhile, outside, Cade and Darman were still ducked down after feeling the tremors, wary of a possible aftershock. "Do you think Sarah and Mewtwo are alright?" Cade asked. "I hope so Cade, I hope so" Darman replied when suddenly a much more violent tremor shook the ground. The two of them closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable rockslide, but none came. When they finally opened their eyes, they found themselves looking at quite a sight to behold. Four pillars formed the corners of a rectangular battlefield, the floor of which forming an ornate mosaic of the Arceus' Sigil, also the national symbol of Arcceonn in the distant past under Raynar II. At one end of the battlefield, marked by a blue line at the edge of the battlefield, stood Mewtwo, Aura flared up and ready for battle, while at the other end, marked by a red line in the same location, stood the King of the Regis, Regigigas, a pokemon Cade and Darman had heard about but never thought had existed. "It's Regigigas!" Darman exclaimed in horror. "This is the one you thought would help us! Way to go Mewtwo!" Cade shouted sarcastically. Sarah ran over to them and shouted, "Get down! They're going to battle!"

Just at that moment, Mewtwo charged at Regigigas, taking advantage of the fact Regigigas was still a bit sluggish, although Mewtwo knew he had only five minutes tops before Regigigas was at full power. Regigigas, despite being slowed, raised a fist and punched Mewtwo in midair, sending him sprawling on his back across the ground. _He seems to be able to compensate to a degree for his low speed_ Mewtwo thought, _Damn!_ Mewtwo stood back up and charged again, but this time, Regigigas _kicked_ him back, much faster than his punch. Mewtwo recovered in midair, realizing only now that he had been a bit off in his calculations. _Five minutes…more like five seconds…_ Mewtwo thought as he shrugged off the damage inflicted upon him; unlike in his previous battles, he would have to go all-out. Regigigas charged at him, attempting to seize him with Crush Grip, but just as Regigigas almost had him, Mewtwo teleported away from Regigigas before flinging him into a pillar with Psychic, knocking the obelisk down upon impact. No sooner did Regigigas get back up than it was attacking again, this time by picking up then throwing the fallen pillar like a javelin. Mewtwo teleported away again, the attack nearly connecting despite his swift evasion. _I need to be more careful…_ Mewtwo thought as he was forced to evade yet another Crush Grip. "This can't go on like this!" Mewtwo shouted as he picked up the fallen pillar with Psychic and swung it at Regigigas like a bat, slamming the pokemon high into the air. Mewtwo followed, but Regigigas had anticipated the move perfectly and fired Hyper Beam. Mewtwo took the full force of the impact head-on, but kept going despite the searing pain. He struck the massive Juggernaut with Focus Punch, slamming him back into the ground and causing yet another tremor. Mewtwo watched from the air, hoping Regigigas was finished. Suddenly, Regigigas stood back up as if unharmed, much to Mewtwo's dismay. "Aw c'mon!" Mewtwo shouted angrily, "You've got to be kidding me!" Regigigas looked back up at Mewtwo and fired another Hyper Beam, but just then, Mewtwo realized something, the greatest foe to everyone is themselves. Mewtwo quickly used Barrier, reflecting the full force of the attack back at Regigigas. The pokemon roared as he was struck by his own attack, a massive explosion erupting from where he stood that kicked up a massive dust cloud. Mewtwo landed on the ground near the hole and looked inside. Regigigas was still conscious…barely. "Ugh…you're quite a fighter…what is it you seek?" he said, barely able to support himself on his arms as he tried to stand up. "I seek support Regigigas" Mewtwo replied, "I will call for you when the time is right; the fate of Arcceonn and the entire world hangs in the balance!" "Understood…farewell and good luck along your way…" Regigigas replied, "Now if you don't mind, I need some time to recover…" At that, the pokemon fell asleep yet again, Mewtwo teleporting over to the others and saying, "Brain beats brawn any day."

A few hours later, the group being too tired to move on after the incident with Regigigas, set up camp in the center of the battlefield, knowing that Regigigas alone would be more than enough to scare off intruders…well, most of them anyways. "…So that's why I say if you're in a military, if it moves, salute it. If it doesn't, bury it. If you can't bury it, paint it" Cade said as he and Darman finished talking about a story from their days in Cyclone. "Guess that's one way to stash a stiff" Sarah replied, Mewtwo shrugging in response. "Perhaps" he said. "Speaking of…" Cade began when he noticed a powerful grip on his throat. Mewtwo was holding him by the neck again using Psychic. "Don't go there Cade. It's a bad idea…" Mewtwo said sternly. "Okay! Can you get go please?" Cade replied, half choking as he did. Mewtwo released his grip, Cade grasping at his throat. "What were they implying?" Sarah asked, completely oblivious to what had just happened. "They were referring to a particular activity between you and me" Mewtwo answered, "One that's best _kept_ between the two of us." Sarah, now realizing what that meant, slapped her hand to her forehead and shook it slowly back and forth. "Boys…" she muttered. Cade and Darman looked at them, then at each other. "It was him!" Cade and Darman exclaimed, pointing at each other. "Just forget it, what has been can never be undone" Mewtwo replied as he lay down to go to sleep. "Hmm…well, I guess I'll hit the sack. Night all!" Cade said as he too fell asleep. "I'll take the first shift for guard duty, don't worry about me" Darman said as he took up a stakeout position in a tree nearby. Sarah nodded and lied down next to Mewtwo; she remembered what her father had told her: sometimes one finds what they least expect in the least expected of forms. This holds true, for in Mewtwo, she had found love.

About two hours later, Darman was watching the surrounding area, prepared to defend against intruders. Something wasn't right about his surroundings; there was an odd chill in the air, a sign of ghost pokemon being in the area. It wasn't that fact that had Darman on alert; it was the fact that somebody he _knew_ to be an enemy was a ghost type. Sure enough, a shadowy figure materialized before him, he was mostly dark in color with a gray head, muscular arms, a yellow antenna on his head and a single, luminous red eye. "Hello Darman…" he said in an all-too-familiar voice that caused Darman to shiver from fear. "Dallon Lettos…" Darman said coldly, readying his blades, "You have a lot of nerve coming after us like this." "I'm not here to fight if that's what you mean" Dallon replied flatly, devoid of all emotion, "I already know all I need to defeat you…" "What do you mean?" Darman asked suspiciously. "Quite simple really, I'd been spying on you for some time now, and I am aware of your vulnerabilities, PARTICULARLY Mewtwo's…" Dallon replied, his tone unchanging. "What the…if you lay a finger on Sarah, I swear I'll kill you!" Darman exclaimed as he slashed Dallon, only for the attack to go right through. "How amusing…you're going to kill a ghost…" Dallon said with a wide grin, "But do not fret my old comrade…this all just…a bad dream." At that moment, Dallon grabbed Darman an overwhelmed him with Shadow Energy, knocking him out and wiping his memory of their meeting yet leaving no trace of battle damage. "All too easy…" Dallon muttered before he disappeared into the black of the night.


	11. Chapter 10: Victory or Death

Chapter 10 – Victory or Death

_Completely oblivious to Sarah and her friends, Neo-Cyclone had attacked Arcceonn City again, albeit it wasn't an all-out attack, but a Black Ops mission set upon capturing some very important enemies of theirs. Meanwhile, they prepare their trap for Sarah, Cade, Darman and Mewtwo, one that absolutely cannot fail. The trap is set; all that remains is for Sarah and the others to take the bait._

"They should be coming through here in a few hours tops Master Lettos" Derek said as he overlooked a clearing. "Assuming they don't change direction you mean…" replied Dallon flatly. He had brought forty of Neo-Cyclone's best operatives with him to capture Sarah and her comrades, including Derek and the Delta Force Four, who were to start the initial attack along with himself. "They shouldn't, there's no forks on the path here" Derek answered, "I assure you that in a short time, they will be ours." Dallon smirked slightly and overlooked the area when something occurred to him. "Tell me Derek, how does it feel knowing you're betraying your own family?" he asked. "Well…I won't lie to you, it's heartbreaking" Derek replied sadly, "But if it is to be for a better world, then no sacrifice is too great." "Glad to see you're loyal Derek" Dallon said, "The world needs more like you."

Since Mewtwo had defeated Regigigas three days prior, he, Sarah Cade and Darman continue their way to the Northeast with as much energy as ever. Despite this, the four of them couldn't help but feel uneasy, as if they were being watched. "Something isn't right…" Cade muttered when suddenly a flash from the corner of his eye caught his attention. His commando's instincts immediately kicked in and told him to move. "Get down!" he shouted, Darman responding immediately, but Mewtwo and Sarah weren't fast enough. A net shot out from a concealed location in some bushes and ensnared Sarah. "No!" Mewtwo exclaimed when suddenly he felt an enormously powerful presence nearby. He spun around and found himself face to face with Dallon Lettos, but by then Mewtwo was too late. Dallon slammed Mewtwo with Shadow Punch, launching him high into the air and out of sight. "Mewtwo!" Sarah shouted in horror. "Dammit, I should've known you'd ambush us!" Darman shouted furiously when suddenly he realized that not only Dallon, but Derek and the Delta Force Four had surrounded them. "Evasive Tactic Gamma!" Cade shouted as he threw a smoke bomb on the ground. After the smoke dissipated, the two were gone, but had left Sarah. "Let them go, we have what we came for" Dallon said flatly as he lifted Sarah onto his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Cade and Darman were watching them from a nearby bush. "You could've at least picked up Sarah first!" Darman said in a hushed tone that nevertheless betrayed his anger. "And then what? We wouldn't be able to escape on foot, it's a _Catch-22_" Cade replied in the same tone, "No matter what happens, we lose…or do we?" "What the…Cade, you're up to something aren't you?" Darman said flatly. "Precisely!" Cade replied happily, "It's simple really. What is it we commandos so best?" Suddenly Darman realized what he was implying and shook his head in disappointment. "Cade this is no time to relive our glory days, we need to think of a more practical solution" Darman said, even though he knew that infiltration was probably the only option. "There is no other way Darman, you'll have to trust me on this" Cade said before extending a claw towards him, "What do you say Partner?" At this, Darman couldn't help but smile and tapped a scythe to Cade's claw. "We'll do this together."

Several hours later, Sarah finally came to and found herself in a dark room, with no windows and only a single light providing dim illumination. The walls were dull gray and there was an odd chill to the air, but none of these caught her attention. There were others here, four of them: a Lucario, a Gardevoir, an Absol and a Gliscor. "Mom! Dad!" Sarah exclaimed, causing all of them to glance up at her. "Sarah!" Raynar exclaimed as he, Eva and Sarah ran towards each other and embraced. "What happened to you? How did you get here?" Sarah asked. "The same way you did Poppet" Razon replied, "We were captured and brought here by a Spec Ops Team, probably Delta Force Four if I know these guys…" "Razon…and Andre! They got you too!" Sarah exclaimed in disbelief. "Yes, they did…" Andre replied as he stood back up, strangely enough looking as strong as ever, even in defeat, "But what you should be worried about is what they intend to do to us…we are to be executed." Sarah froze up at this; she knew full well what she was getting in to, but she had never stopped to think of what would happen should she fail in her mission. She fell to her knees and began crying uncontrollably. "Sarah, what's wrong!" Raynar exclaimed as he attempted to comfort his daughter. "Mewtwo, if you can hear me, I need you now! Help!" Sarah shouted.

Meanwhile, somewhere outside the Neo-Cyclone base, Cade and Darman surveyed their surroundings ahead to get an idea of what was going on when suddenly their eyes came to rest on a crater, obviously fresh. They ran over to it, and to their surprise, Mewtwo was in the center, battered, but very much alive. "Whoa…Mewtwo? You okay?" Cade asked as he lifted Mewtwo up, supporting him on his shoulder. "Cade? Is that you?" Mewtwo asked as he came to, "Where's Sarah?" "She was captured by Neo-Cyclone and is being held inside that base, we're gonna go get her out" Darman replied. "You mean she's in…" Mewtwo began when suddenly; he stopped, snapping his head towards the base. _Mewtwo, if you can hear me, I need you now! Help!_ Shouted Sarah's voice in his head. "Hang in there Sarah, I'm coming!" Mewtwo exclaimed as he shot into the air over the base, alarms immediately starting to go off. "Well so much for stealth…" Darman muttered. "C'mon Darman, we can't let a comrade go in alone!" Cade replied. Darman nodded in response, and screaming at the top of their lungs, the two slashed through the surrounding fence and joined Mewtwo's attack.

In the holding cell, Sarah and the others could clearly hear the alarms going off. "The base is under attack!" Razon exclaimed. "There's only one I could see attacking a base like this…" Raynar began when suddenly the wall was punched through. The light was blinding, but as his eyes adjusted, he recognized a silhouette that for fifteen years had given him nightmares. "Mewtwo!" Sarah exclaimed, leaping to her feet and running to embrace him. Mewtwo returned her embrace replying, "Thank Arceus you're alright Sarah!" "Hey you in there! I hate to interrupt the reunion, but we need help out here!" Cade shouted. "Raynar, Eva, you get Sarah and Mewtwo out of here. We'll handle them" Razon said with a grin, "C'mon Andre, let's go!" At that, the Gliscor and Absol charged out the opening and began attacking multiple base guards at once. Cade and Darman, however, were surrounded. "Cade, Darman!" Raynar shouted, about to rush in and assist. "Raynar, get out of here! If we don't hold them off, all is lost!" Cade shouted. "We'll handle this one Raynar, don't worry about us!" Andre exclaimed. "I…" Raynar began to protest, but he knew that they were right. It sickened him to the core that his friends were about to give their lives to save him, Eva, Sarah and Mewtwo, but there was no other way. "I trust you…see you in the next life…" Raynar said. Mewtwo looked over at Cade and Darman, gave them a salute, and then turned back towards the others. The four of them began to glow, brighter and brighter until suddenly the light faded as Mewtwo teleported them away.

As Cade, Darman, Andre and Razon continued to fight a losing battle, suddenly, things got much worse as Dallon appeared to confront them. "I'll take him…" Razon said calmly as he stepped forward to challenge him. "Razon 'the Dagger' Nachturne, your bravado has remained unchanged since your youth" Dallon said. "Yeah, but I've become far stronger since then!" Razon replied furiously, his claws out to either side for the fight ahead, "It's time we ended this once and for all!" "Gladly!" Dallon replied with a wide grin as the two charged at each other. Razon tried to land an early hit with Night Slash, but Dallon immediately evaded and used his trademark move, Shadow Punch. The attack struck home and knocked Razon out in a single hit, slamming him into the ground at Andre's feet. "Razon!" Andre exclaimed, about to attack Dallon in revenge when Cade blocked him. "Get out of here Andre, we'll handle him" he said. "No! I can't and I won't!" Andre exclaimed in shock. "You can and you must!" Cade shot back, "Razon is badly injured, and needs medical attention immediately! Get him out of here while there's still time!" "Go! It's better this way!" Darman shouted. Hesitantly, Andre nodded and managed to get Razon onto his back before running off, carrying his injured comrade with him. Darman watched him leave and backed up towards Cade, the two now standing side-by-side. "Cade…this is our finest hour…let's make this count!" Darman said. "Let us be blessed in the next life as we go down in blaze of glory!" Cade shouted, "ATTACK!" Cade and Darman charged forward, straight at Dallon. "This will be too easy…" Dallon muttered as he disappeared. Cade and Darman stopped, looking frantically around them for Dallon. "He's gone! Disappeared!" Cade shouted. "Disappeared, hah! I'm not gone, just hidden, but not for long! SHADOW FORCE!" Dallon shouted as he reappeared behind Cade engulfed in energy and charged at him. "Cade!" Darman exclaimed as he pushed Cade out of the way and took the full force of the attack. Darman screamed as he took the attack, but he wasn't in any pain; the reason for that, however, is that he was dead. "Darman!" Cade exclaimed as he ran over to his fallen friend and lifted him up in his arms, "C'mon Darman, you're a soldier! Snap out of it! Darman! DAAAAAAARMAAAAAAAN!" At that moment, Cade felt a powerful grip on him. He spun around only to find Dallon grabbing him by the throat and lifting him high in the air. "Our deaths will only rally others…you're downfall is imminent!" Cade shouted furiously. "Silence…traitor…" Dallon said as he threw Cade into the ground and loosed a powerful blast of energy at him. Cade now lied motionless on the ground, his vision and feeling fading away. "From nothing, all had begun…and in nothing, all shall end…" Cade muttered with his last breath as he passed away.

An hour later, Raynar, Eva, Sarah and Mewtwo rendezvoused with Andre and Razon, the latter apparently not as badly injured as Andre had thought, as he was conscious and able to stand, although for now gliding would be out of the question. The six of them stood together, their heads bowed in total silence. "Today, we have lost two valuable comrades" Raynar said mournfully, "Cade and Darman, although enemies at one time, became among the most loyal friends I myself have ever had…and today, we say farewell to them for the final time…goodbye my friends…and thank you. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten…" Inside of each of them, they were all sad for Cade and Darman's loss, but there was also a seething anger towards Neo-Cyclone, and in Mewtwo, this anger had reached the breaking point. "Enough of this!" he shouted furiously, "Now is not the time to mourn, but to act! I vow that I will never give up hope until Neo-Cyclone has been all but destroyed! They will regret the day they decided to take the lives of our friends or family!" He then turned to Sarah and added, "Will you fight by my side?" "To the very end!" Sarah replied. "I'll do my best" Eva said. "You can count on me" Andre answered. "I'll fight with you" Razon said. "As will I" Raynar answered as a glow emanated from his hands, and from that, Exomere appeared once again, "Arceus in heaven above, give us Victory or Death!"


	12. Chapter 11: The Bitter Truth

Chapter 11 – The Bitter Truth

_In a final act of selfless loyalty to their friends and their home, Cade and Darman gave their lives to ensure the other's escape. Now, with even greater resolve, Sarah, now with the assistance of her parents as well as Andre and Razon, must find a way to determine what Neo-Cyclone's scheme may be. However, that may not be all that Raynar might discover, and one crucial detail concerning his daughter and Mewtwo will force him to make the toughest decision for any parent: to let Sarah make her own decisions and to acknowledge that there is little more he can do for her…_

"They couldn't have gone far…" John said as he slowly crept along a path. The Delta Force Four had been tasked with finding the escapees and taking them out on sight, but for some reason, there was no sight of them anywhere. "Something's not right…" Wes muttered, "We should have found them by now." "I don't know, they are pretty good at hiding…" Scylla replied. "Keep your cool, we can't let them escape" Vance said as he looked around when suddenly he was knocked out by a powerful blow to the back of the head. John spun around to identify the threat only to see Raynar K'Tal standing on Vance's back, Exomere's tip to the back of the Garchomp's neck. "Make one move and he dies!" Raynar shouted angrily. "C'mon Raynar, you and I both know you don't have it in you to kill!" John taunted when suddenly he felt something grab him. "Yeah, but I do" Razon answered from behind him. "You're not going anywhere" Mewtwo said as he lifted up Wes and Scylla using Psychic. Finally, Sarah and Andre ran around them with ropes and bound the four Neo-Cyclone operatives together. "Aw, that's perfect! They're using our one tactics against us!" Wes complained. "They want something from us" John said, "Otherwise Raynar _might_ have killed Vance."

"Razon, why don't you handle the interrogation?" Raynar asked. Razon grinned evilly and replied with a laugh, "Gladly…Mewtwo, you can give me a hand with this." John swallowed hard from nervousness; when Razon worked for Cyclone, everyone knew he was the sadistic type, and it seems that he had become even _more_ sadistic over the course of fifteen years; throw Mewtwo into the equation, and he knew this was going to be excruciatingly painful. "Alright, so tell me, what exactly is Neo-Cyclone's objective?" Razon asked his claw to John's throat to emphasize his captive's vulnerability. "To rid this world of injustices and begin anew" he replied. "And how do you intend to do that?" Razon asked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" John answered with a grin. "Wrong answer. Mewtwo, go ahead…" Razon said. Suddenly, Mewtwo shot Aura out of his hand in a form resembling lightning, striking John right between the eyes. The Weavile screamed in pain until the attack stopped after three seconds. "Now, let's try this again; how do you intend to accomplish your goals?" Razon asked more forcefully. "Ugh…I don't know, that's the truth! I don't know!" John exclaimed. "I do…" Vance answered in defeat. "Well then, start talking!" replied Razon. "Master Lettos intends to harness the powers of time, space and antimatter in order to destroy this world and create a new one in its place…" Vance said, "I am one of the few that know of the true intent of Neo-Cyclone…" At this, John, Wes and Scylla turned and stared at him in disbelief. "Is…Is this true!" Wes exclaimed in horror. "Every word" Vance answered with a tone of finality. John, Wes and Scylla looked back and forth between Vance, Razon, Mewtwo and each other for several seconds. "I didn't sign up for this!" John shouted, "I want out!" "Same here!" Wes chimed in. "As do I. I kind of like being able to exist you know" Scylla said with a tone that although seemed indifferent barely hinted at her fear. "I also have my doubts…" Vance muttered, "and I've decided enough is enough…" Razon tilted his head to the side and replied, "Elaborate…" "We…or at least I wasn't trying to capture you…in fact, I was trying to defect" Vance answered. At this, Raynar intervened, replying, "I'll judge your sincerity…" He closed his eyes and reached out to their Auras, trying to see if there was any treachery in the minds of the Delta Force Four. Much to his surprise, not only did he sense none, but he sensed a deep hatred directed towards Neo-Cyclone as well as a sense of guilt and betrayal. "Very well" Raynar said as he undid their bindings, "You're free to go." None of them left, however, much to everyone's surprise. "Sarah, might I say something?" John asked, gesturing to her. "Yes, what is it?" Sarah asked, stepping forward. "I know there's bad blood between us and all, but this along with the encounters we've had with you taught me something…this is _our_ home too, and we have to defend it no matter how high the cost…" John said with a tinge of sadness to his voice before he suddenly seemed to explode with determination. "We will fight with you!" he declared. "That says it for me!" Wes answered. "I'll give you my full support!" Scylla replied. "I'll follow you to the end!" Vance exclaimed, "Let's show Dallon Lettos to mess with our world!"

Hours later, all ten of them had traveled a long distance, now as allies rather than adversaries. Raynar, Eva and Sarah lead the way, Razon, Andre and Wes acting as guards, and Mewtwo, Vance and John conducting forward reconnaissance ahead of them. By now, however, all of them were exhausted and decided to set up camp in an impromptu clearing made by Vance cutting down several of the surrounding trees. Thanks to Vance's Flamethrower, starting the fire took about a second as opposed to the two to five minutes it took Cade or Darman or the thirty seconds to a minute it took Mewtwo to make a fire with two sticks. For the most part, the evening consisted of discussing information on Neo-Cyclone provided by the Delta Force Four's defection, although it soon became clear that except for Vance, they were completely clueless as to what their overall plans were. For some of them, however, other things were on their minds, particularly in Sarah's case. She leaned against Mewtwo and whispered something in his ear. He smirked deviously and whispered in reply, "Lead the way…" "You'll know when you get there" Sarah answered as she got up and walked away. Mewtwo, rather than following her, first said, "I don't know about you, but I'm heading down to the river to wash up…" With that he teleported away, but as the meeting had been interrupted at random, everyone was silent. "Hmm, really?" Raynar muttered upon noticing that Sarah was gone too. "I'll be back…" he said as he stood up and walked off. "I'd better tag along to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid…" Eva sighed as she stood up and followed him.

"What could Mewtwo be up to?" Raynar muttered as he got close to the river's clearing when he saw something that made him stop in his tracks; Mewtwo and Sarah were…you know what, I'll leave that to your imagination. Anger surged within Raynar, not because he had a problem with Sarah's _choice_ of a lover, which he did, but because of how protective he was of her. He was about to leap into the clearing and pry them apart when suddenly someone grabbed him from behind and knocked him to the ground. "Eva! What the Hell!" Raynar attempted to shout, but his yelling was muffled almost completely by Eva's hand over his mouth. "I knew you would do this!" Eva whispered furiously, "Back off!" "I'm not going to let just anyone have my daughter like that!" Raynar shot back, his voice still muffled by Eva's hand. "Raynar, she's growing up. You need to let her make her own decisions" Eva whispered. "Well…not _this_ young she shouldn't!" Raynar muttered beneath Eva's hand. "Um…I wouldn't be talking if I were you…" Eva replied flatly, shaking her head. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Raynar asked in irritation. "You didn't exactly keep your chastity for too long yourself Raynar" Eva answered, "Both of us were only two years older than Sarah is now." Raynar blushed slightly and remained silent; Eva was right, and the last thing he wanted to be was a hypocrite. "It's the truth you know" Eva said. "Yes, but it's a bitter truth in this case…" Raynar muttered, "Let's just get out of here before Mewtwo or Sarah notice us. I have nothing more to say…"


	13. Chapter 12: Redemption

Chapter 12 – Redemption

_Despite some initial difficulties, Raynar has changed his opinion towards Mewtwo's relationship with Sarah and has made peace with his former enemies in the Delta Force Four. However, Neo-Cyclone is still a force to be reckoned with despite the loss of their elite Special Forces team, and if anything, their resolve is even stronger in anger towards their betrayal. Was it a bad idea for the Delta Force Four to defect, or was following their hearts the right thing to do after all?_

"Master Lettos, the Delta Force Four has defected to our enemies" Derek said sternly. "Hmm…a slight setback, nothing more, assuming others don't follow their lead" Dallon replied. The Delta Force Four's betrayal had placed Dallon in a bind; how should he deal with the traitors while still maintaining the loyalty of his followers? At this point, there seemed to be no alternative to outright and immediate termination. "Derek…you are to find the Delta Force Four, then you are to wipe them out…" Dallon said flatly but with a hint at frustration in his tone, "All of them…" "It shall be done…" Derek responded, bowing low at the waist, "All who stand in our way must be crushed. That is the price of a perfect World…" As Derek turned to leave, Dallon turned towards what seemed to be a wall behind him hidden in shadow. "Everything is going according to plan Master…" Dallon said, bowing in the same manner Derek had done towards him. At that moment, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows. "Excellent..." a voice replied, "but what is this betrayal I have heard you discussing with Derek K'Tal?" "A Special Forces unit called the Delta Force Four has gone rogue" Dallon answered, "I have sent General K'Tal out to eliminate them before others follow their example." "I see…" the voice said, "the time is near Dallon. Soon, the Day of Judgment will arrive, and then you can bring about the creation of the new World." "How near?" Dallon asked. "About…a week…" the voice replied, "Farewell and good luck…" The eyes disappeared, and Dallon was again alone in the chamber. "Master Lettos!" shouted a Blaziken from behind him. "What is it now Captain?" Dallon asked. "We've retrieved the three items in question, the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous Orbs, as you ordered" the Blaziken replied. Dallon grinned and answered, "Excellent work Captain…no, _Major_ Fyre…" "Yes sir! Thank you sir!" the other replied as he made a 180 and walked back out. A few seconds after the newly promoted Major left, Dallon couldn't help but laugh at how easy his success was. In exactly a week, his dream of a new, ideal World would finally become reality.

Meanwhile, Raynar's group had now made it to the base of Mount Arcceonn, at the summit of which was where Vance had said the main Neo-Cyclone base was located. The mountain, which towered at over four miles in height from base to peak, was located at the exact center of the Arcceonn region and was hallowed ground, as it was here that many believed Arceus had entered the universe and therefore, where the universe truly began. "So the base is at the summit of the mountain…" Raynar muttered as he looked up at the peak. "Yep…" Vance replied, "It'll be real tough to get up there, especially once we make it past fifteen thousand feet in altitude. The air up there is quite thin I assure you." "Not a problem" Mewtwo answered, "As long as we conserve our energy, we should be fine." "Yeah…but why do I feel we're being watched?" Sarah asked. "We probably are" Vance replied, "The natives of this mountain defend this place with their lives. The only reason why Neo-Cyclone units can ascend or descend the mountain is because there's safety in numbers." "No, the presence is familiar…" Sarah said when suddenly she recognized an Aura. As if on cue, a gold Lucario faded into view in front of them. "It can't be…" Eva muttered. "Derek! What are you doing here!" Raynar exclaimed. "Simple, I came here to assist you" Derek replied with a warm smile. "Yeah right!" Sarah shouted, "You're a Neo-Cyclone General, why would you help us!" "What!" Raynar exclaimed, "Is…this true!" At this Derek's smile widened into a grin as he replied, "As true as I am alive!" Suddenly, an ethereal blade of pure Aura extended from either of his palms before he said, "Now that we've met again Raynar, why don't you show me how much you've improved in one-to-one combat." Raynar summoned Exomere to his hands, split it into its twin saber form and replied, "Gladly! Everyone stay back, this one's personal!"

Derek and Raynar began to circle each other slowly, probing each other's defenses and holding back aggressive moves. Suddenly, the two lunged at each other and attacked in their full fury, blades of Admantite and Aura colliding with a sound not unlike thunder. They forced each other back and began to circle again before they attacked again. Raynar had the upper hand this time, and forced Derek against a tree. Within an instant, however, Derek had reversed their positions and threw him against a large boulder. Raynar cried out in shock upon impact and fell to the ground on his hands and knees, grasping his side in pain. "Well, I guess that answers the question of who's superior" Derek said as he walked over to Raynar. "How could you Derek!" Raynar shouted angrily, "You've strayed so far from your ideals that I can barely recognize you!" "I've just embraced the fact that this world is unjust and must end" Derek shouted back with an equal amount of anger, "_You're_ the one who's strayed from your ideals!" Raynar wanted to reply, but the pain in his side was too great and so he could only look up at him angrily. "I'm sorry it had to come to this Raynar, but this has to end…" Derek said as he raised his fist in the air for the finishing blow, "Goodbye…" Raynar closed his eyes and prepared for the impact, but just as Derek unleashed his attack, something completely unexpected happened. Mewtwo had gotten between him and Derek and blocked the attack. "You will not harm him any further!" Mewtwo shouted as he blasted Derek away. "I see you want to have a rematch Mewtwo…I warn you though, if you lose, I will not spare you or anyone else here. That is the price that must be paid for an ideal World" Derek said as he dissipated his ethereal blades to power himself up. "Then the price to save _this_ World would be _your_ life! I can't allow you to harm them, no matter what!" Mewtwo replied. "I guess there's only one way to find out…" Derek replied, "Let's end this once and for all!"

The fight between Mewtwo and Derek began as it had for Raynar, but this time, the two leapt high into the air before attacking, using their own psychic abilities to hover. The two attacked so quickly that only the last of the strikes could be seen before Mewtwo and Derek knocked each other back to the ground. Instead of circling again, Derek rushed at Mewtwo with Blaze Kick, but the latter teleported away from the attack just before it would have impacted and reappeared behind Derek before throwing him over his shoulder onto the ground. Derek swept Mewtwo off of his feet and pounced on him, punching him several times in the face while sitting on his chest. Within seconds, Mewtwo reversed their position and was attacking in the same manner. Seconds later, Derek kicked Mewtwo off and put them about to where they had begun their fight. The two charged at each other, Aura Shields in front of either of them. They collided and began pushing towards each other, each trying to shatter the other's barrier. "You fight for the unjust; they do not deserve to live!" Derek shouted. "They have the right to choose for themselves!" Mewtwo shot back just before both of them forced each other back. "Oh really? Why should a murderer be allowed to live and an innocent being die!" Derek retorted. Mewtwo wanted to be able to respond, but he couldn't, mainly because Derek was talking about Mewtwo and all those he had killed. "Doesn't make much sense does it?" Derek replied, "So why should you even fight me when you could obtain a pardon from Arceus himself if you _join_ us!" "Because sometimes, pokemon can change!" Mewtwo shouted furiously, "No matter how deep into the dark one has strayed, there is always a chance at redemption!" Mewtwo lowered his head slightly, glanced at Sarah, and continued, "A young Gardevoir once told me…that sometimes one finds what they least expect in the least expected of forms…and in the knowledge that my friends will be there for me, I have found _my_ redemption!" At that moment, Mewtwo and Derek lunged at each other again, but for some reason, it soon became apparent that Mewtwo was starting to overpower Derek. Mewtwo forced him further and further back until he had him backed to a wall. Mewtwo punched him furiously and rapidly, while Derek did whatever he could to block the onslaught. It wasn't enough, however, as one particularly strong blow struck Derek right in the chest and blast him through the rock and skidding across the ground until he came to an abrupt stop at the base of a tree.

Mewtwo walked over to Derek cautiously, as Derek's Aura still shone brightly. Suddenly, it began to falter and slowly fade. To Mewtwo's despair, he had fatally injured Derek. He went to his side and placed his hand under his head. "I guess…we finally know who's right…" Derek said with a feeble smile. "Derek, you fought well, but you can't slip away now" Mewtwo said, "Don't die on me!" "Heheh…nah…for a while, Neo-Cyclone was the only reason I still existed…finish me off Mewtwo. No one will think any less of you…" Derek answered. Mewtwo could sense everyone around him, and all were waiting to see what he would do. "You may have been my enemy…and you tried to kill my friends…" Mewtwo said, "…but I forgive you. I now give you a second chance!" Derek suddenly began glowing violet as Mewtwo began pouring his Aura into Derek, strengthening the latter's life force more and more until suddenly, Mewtwo sensed Derek's Aura stabilize and return to normal. "You will live Derek, now we need your help" Mewtwo said, "Will you help to save our World." Derek looked over at each of the others, then back at Mewtwo. _He spared my life! Perhaps he could change after all…_ he thought. "You can count on it!" Derek replied.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Dallon was fuming. He had been observing the fight, and now his fear that others would follow the lead of the Delta Force Four would come true; to top it all off, it was his most powerful General. "No-No-NOOOOOOO!" Dallon exclaimed in frustration as he smashed a boulder beneath his fist. "That is _it_!" he muttered, "This is starting to get way out of hand; I'll have to go ahead with the plan myself! They can't stop me! NO ONE WILL!" "Relax Master Lettos, we don't need him" Major Fyre said flatly from behind him, "We have the powers of time, space and antimatter within our reach, why would we need him?" "Because other than myself, he was the strongest member of Neo-Cyclone! I can't _afford_ to lose him!" Dallon replied furiously, "Think about it, the less power we have on our side, the less likely I am to succeed, and consequently the less likely it is for your daughter to be able to live the life you intended for her. _Now_ do you see my point?" "Yes Master Lettos…" Major Fyre replied in shock, "I never thought of it that way…" "That's why I'm in charge and you're not Major" Dallon replied flatly, "Remember, I wasn't known as _The Black Knight of Wyvernia_ for nothing…but then again, it may be too late for them to stop us, as it will take at _least_ six days for them to reach the base under the _best_ of conditions, and the following day, we will have won."


	14. Chapter 13: Genesis

Chapter 13 – Genesis

_Derek K'Tal had defected from Neo-Cyclone, turning Raynar's group into a bigger threat than they were already. Regardless of this, Dallon Lettos has obtained all he needs, in the forms of the Admanant, Lustrous and Griseous Orbs. Unless Raynar and his comrades can defeat the combined powers of time, space and antimatter, all will be lost._

Dallon Lettos was getting impatient; it had been six days since his enemies had begun to ascend Mount Arcceonn, and by his calculations, he had mere hours before they would arrive at the peak. Arrik Burnn, a Charizard that had been a Cyclone General alongside Dalon fifteen years ago, and Major Fyre were shouting orders to the multitude of technicians scrambling around a strange machine; it resembled a massive arch, and in front of it was a consol with three indentations at the top arranged to form and equilateral triangle, in which were the Adamant, Lustrous and Griseous Orbs. The device was dubbed 'Genesis', as it was a portal designed to do the unthinkable: summoning the primordial beings to this world from theirs. The device was complete and was functional, but in order to fully function, it first needed to charge power; to top it all off, it was extremely unstable, and so required constant monitoring. "What's the status on Genesis?" Dallon asked. "Power level at eighty percent and climbing, energy yield is stable" replied one of the technicians, a Kadabra. "Eighty percent is enough to summon Arceus…" Dallon said when suddenly an idea came to his mind, "but it is _more_ than enough to bring forth his sons…General, is the Red Chain ready?" "Yes Master Lettos" Arrik replied. "Very good" Dallon said as he looked down towards a pass to the summit, "Because I have a plan to keep our enemies from meddling…"

"We're almost there, we can't give up now!" Vance shouted to the others behind him; in order to reach the summit, they had been climbing without stopping for six days in a row, a remarkable feat by anyone's standards. Now only a short distance remained, and they would be at the peak. Suddenly, Mewtwo pushed everyone down using Psychic. "What's the big idea!" John exclaimed angrily when suddenly Mewtwo ducked down as a blue-silver beam shot over his head and completely obliterated a rock formation far behind them and causing everything below to go crashing down the mountain. "What was that!" Eva exclaimed. "We're too late!" Derek shouted, pointing up the path. The path to the peak was a straight shot from here on, but three titanic obstacles stood in their way. Dialga, Deity of Time, Palkia, Deity of Space and Giratina, Deity of Dimensions, stood between them and the peak, and in front of them stood an all-too-familiar presence. "Dallon!" Raynar cursed, "It was one thing to betray me but this has gone too far!" "Save your breath Raynar, you're going to need it" Dallon replied flatly, "Because I cannot allow you to ascend further without a fight, and you know you cannot defeat the Sons of Arceus!" "Maybe I can't…" Raynar said when suddenly Mewtwo interjected, "But I _can_!" Everyone immediately turned to stare at Mewtwo in disbelief. "Are you insane Mewtwo! That's like fighting all of reality!" Derek exclaimed in horror. "You really think so?" Mewtwo replied with a devious grin, "I say that because I know something you don't." "Say what you will Mewtwo, it won't change the fact that you can't win" Dallon said with a wide grin. "What if I told you that the Red Chain allows you to control the Sons of Arceus…" Mewtwo replied, "…But only one at a time?" "What! How do you know this!" Dallon shouted in disbelief. He had never heard anything like that about the Red Chain, but he didn't want to take a chance and fail now. "Let's say I've done some independent studying…" Mewtwo replied, glancing back at Sarah briefly and giving her a wink. Sarah did her best not to laugh at this realization; Mewtwo was bluffing, but he was so skilled at deception and had such a strong mental screen than it was impossible to tell if he was lying or not. "Dammit!" Dallon cursed, "But that doesn't matter, I'll just send them at you one at a time! Dialga, crush him!"

At this, Dialga reared his head back as the gem in his chest began to glow. Seconds later, he fired Roar of Time at Mewtwo. The genetic pokemon put up the strongest barrier he could, reflecting the attack back at Dialga and blasting the temporal pokemon into the air. Dialga stabilized himself and brought himself to a halt in midair. "So you wish to take it to the sky? I'm more than happy to oblige!" Mewtwo taunted as he shot skyward, Dialga giving chase. The dragon and steel type was fast, and thanks to temporal distortion, he was gaining on Mewtwo, but the latter had expected that and was prepared to counter. Immediately, he flipped around and fired Aura Sphere at point-blank range. Dialga roared in both pain and anger as the attack launched it straight into the side of the mountain near the others. Mewtwo landed beside Dialga as he began to stand back up. For some reason, however, Dialga stopped moving, but he was obviously trying to; Mewtwo was restraining him with Psychic, but there was more to it than just that. "Dialga…you are being used! Snap out of it!" Mewtwo shouted. Dialga only roared in protest, and Mewtwo just shook his head. "You leave me no choice…" Mewtwo replied as he closed a fist. Suddenly, Dialga froze up, sagged, and crashed to the ground in a heap, completely unconscious. "What did you do!" Wes exclaimed in amazement. "I overloaded his mind by causing his neural transmissions to backfire" Mewtwo replied, "Simple biological manipulation using telekinesis." _He defeated Dialga in a matter of mere seconds! Maybe he IS that powerful…_ Dallon thought in shock, _No, I can't give up now! I still have two left!_ "Palkia, you're up!" Dallon shouted, pointing towards Mewtwo. Palkia immediately warped right behind Mewtwo and attempted to strike him with Dragon Claw, but Mewtwo had done the same, teleporting behind Palkia just as he reappeared. "Nice try!" Mewtwo shouted as he struck Palkia with Shadow Ball. Palkia roared in angry protest from the strike, staggering slightly but still in the fight. Palkia raised his arm up then slashed it diagonally in front of him, launching a Spatial Rend attack at Mewtwo. Mewtwo barely evaded the attack, as he still felt it as it passed, but he wasn't harmed at all. _This is getting out of hand; I have to finish him off now!_ Mewtwo thought as Palkia came at him again. Mewtwo warped away from Palkia, again reappearing behind him before launching Shadow Ball. Palkia slammed into the side of the mountain very near where Dialga had, but unlike the temporal pokemon, Palkia was down for the count. "Just one more…" Mewtwo muttered. "Nicely done Mewtwo" Dallon said mockingly, "But there's still one more, and this one's the most dangerous of them all!" Giratina growled angrily and locked eyes with Mewtwo, seemingly probing him for weaknesses. Rather than attack, Mewtwo simply landed on the ground, stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The ground began to shake violently, forcing everyone to the ground. Suddenly, a fissure opened up, and from it appeared Regigigas. The ponderous behemoth had made a promise to Mewtwo, and by his sacred honor, he intended to keep it. "I made an oath, and intend to fulfill it" Regigigas said coldly as he looked towards Giratina, "Looks like I have my work cut out for me…" Within minutes, Regigigas had subdued Giratina, leaving the path wide open for the attack. "Thank you Regigigas. The battle is far from over, but thank you anyway" Mewtwo said. "You're welcome…" Regigigas replied, "Now from my understanding, we have a world to save. Let's go!"

A Moment, later, all of them had made it to the peak, and all of them were blown away by the sight before them. "Genesis…" Derek muttered. "So this is what they were defending…" Mewtwo said, "Alright, Regigigas take it out!" Just before Regigigas could move, however, he was struck from behind and knocked unconscious. "Must I do everything myself?" Dallon said mockingly as he appeared between them and Genesis. "Dallon!" Mewtwo exclaimed angrily. "Mewtwo, you can't win. If you couldn't defeat Aranam, what makes you think you can defeat me?" Dallon taunted, "But you know…there is an alternative…" "Enlighten me" Mewtwo replied sarcastically. "Destroying someone as powerful as you would be a waste, so think about it, when the new world comes into being, I will rule it as a god! Why don't you join me instead?" Mewtwo didn't answer; it was true that Dallon was powerful, perhaps too powerful, and being able to obtain that power was tempting. Just then, however, something else made that decision for him. "Maybe…he's right…" Sarah said suddenly as she walked towards Dallon, stopping at his side. "What the…Sarah!" Mewtwo exclaimed. "You see, your lover has come to accept the truth…do you really wish to have to fight her too, or will you stand by her side forever as you promised?" "Mewtwo, don't listen to him!" Raynar shouted. "Silence!" Dallon shouted as he fired Shadow Ball at Raynar, slamming him into a boulder behind him. "Raynar, no!" Mewtwo exclaimed. "Don't fight us Mewtwo…" Sarah said, "Join us and rule an ideal world…" Mewtwo looked back at Sarah, then at Raynar, and finally at Dallon; he walked over to Dallon and stood in front of him. "Well?" Dallon asked, "Make your choice Mewtwo, but I advise you to choose wisely." _Sarah would never tell me to give up, no matter what!_ Mewtwo thought as his anger began building to full-blown rage _It's a lie! This is all…a nightmare!_

Mewtwo raised his fist back and punched Dallon right in the middle of his chest. Suddenly, Sarah disappeared, replaced by Dallon grasping his chest in pain. "No! I was so _close_!" Dallon shouted furiously as he struck Mewtwo under the chin with Shadow Punch. "Mewtwo!" Sarah exclaimed as she ran over to him. Mewtwo, despite the intensity of the blow, stood back up almost immediately. "I knew it was all a lie!" Mewtwo shouted furiously, "Sarah would never tell me to give up, no matter how bad things got!" Dallon cracked his knuckles and replied, "I see there is no other way…I'll just have to be rid of you the hard way! It's time we saw who _really_ deserves the title of _World's Strongest Pokemon_!" Mewtwo moved back into a fighting stance and answered, "By the time this day is out, one of us shall stand, and the other shall fall!" "I think we both know the answer to that…" Dallon taunted.

Mewtwo attacked first, rushing in close to get the first hit only to strike empty air; Dallon had warped out of the way of Mewtwo's attack. "Close, but no cigar" Dallon taunted as he suddenly appeared behind Mewtwo, "Shadow Force!" Mewtwo cried out as he was struck by the attack and slammed into the side of the Genesis arch. "Who's the strongest now?" Dallon taunted as he picked Mewtwo up and threw him up and hit him with Shadow Punch, knocking him against a boulder and doing even more damage. "What? Is that all you've got?" Dallon said as he floated a short distance away, his arms folded confidently over his chest. Mewtwo staggered to his feet and shot back, "I haven't _begun_ to fight!" Mewtwo struck Dallon with Shadow Ball, forcing the gripper pokemon to back away. Dallon disappeared then attacked again with Shadow Force, but Mewtwo had anticipated the attack and teleported away. "Dark Pulse!" he shouted, unleashing a darkness-infused blast of Aura at Dallon. The ghost type created a shadowy barrier in front of him and deflected the attack back at Mewtwo. Mewtwo quickly intercepted his own attack with another Dark Pulse to avoid damage, giving Dallon enough of an opening to strike again. Dallon grabbed Mewtwo around the throat and began to choke him. "You should never have betrayed us" Dallon said as he slowly tightened his grip, "After I'm through with you, your friends are next…starting with Sarah." "No!" Mewtwo shouted furiously as he released another Dark Pulse. As Dallon was holding him by the throat, it was too close to evade no matter what Dallon did. He cried out in angry protest as he was blown back by the intense blast. "Big mistake!" Dallon shouted, "Payback!" Just before Dallon attacked, Mewtwo put up another barrier and deflected Dallon's attack back at him and launched him flat on his back next to the Genesis' control console. Mewtwo stood over Dallon and said, "You have lost." _I can't lose, not now!_ Dallon thought as he glanced at the control panel. The indicator at long last changed from 99.9% to 100% power. "You've failed Mewtwo! It's all over!" Dallon shouted in triumph as he slammed his fist down on a red button and activated the device.


	15. Chapter 14: Mewtwo's Finest Hour

Chapter 14 – Mewtwo's Finest Hour

_Despite arriving at the peak before Neo-Cyclone had expected them along with defeating Dialga, Palkia, Giratina and Dallon, the efforts of Raynar's coalition were all for naught. Dallon has activated Genesis, a device meant to summon Arceus, whom he would control using the Red Chain and use to create a new universe. However, as Dallon will soon find out, there are reasons why certain powers are kept beyond our grasp, and soon the race to stop Neo-Cyclone turns into a battle to save the Universe._

Mewtwo stared at Dallon, then at Genesis in disbelief. Even as powerful as he was, it wasn't enough. Massive arcs of electricity began surging up the Genesis arch, the light from which was so bright that all had to turn away to avoid being blinded. A white line appeared in the center of the arch, which expanded into a light that covered the entire inside of the arch. Seconds later, a silhouette became visible, slowly gaining clarity until at last he appeared. Arceus, the Original One, had returned! "What is that!" Sarah exclaimed. "It's Arceus! We're too late!" Raynar shouted in disbelief, "But how! We were so close!" Dallon, meanwhile, had stood up and was now holding the Red Chain in his hands, his intent no clear. "No Dallon! You're making a mistake!" Mewtwo shouted, by his warning fell on deaf ears. Arceus was far too powerful to control using the Red Chain, but in his madness, Dallon refused to listen. "Now Arceus! End this world and begin anew!" Dallon shouted as he lassoed the Red Chain over Arceus' neck. Massive arcs of energy shot from the chain into Arceus, and the creator was clearly enduring great pain. "He has a strong will…" Dallon muttered, "I command you! Submit!" At that moment, Arceus turned his gaze towards Dallon, and at that moment the ghost type realized he had made a grave error. The Red Chain glowed, cracked, then shattered in an explosion of energy that forced everyone back. "What! The Red Chain was supposed to control Arceus!" Dallon shouted in disbelief, "How can this happen!" "You're mad Dallon, Arceus is far too powerful for _anyone_ to control!" Mewtwo shouted angrily, pointing towards the sky, "Now the consequences of your actions have become apparent!" Dallon followed Mewtwo's point until he saw what Mewtwo meant. A dark sphere had appeared in the center of the sun and was gradually growing, the light of the sun seeming to swirl into it not unlike water into a whirlpool. "What is that!" Dallon exclaimed in horror. "That is a Black Hole…" Raynar replied, "A region where space-time is stretched to the breaking point by an infinite gravity well…and by the looks of it, it is expanding, and won't stop expanding until everything has been consumed by it and destroyed." "No, you're lying! How could this happen!" Dallon shouted, not believing Raynar even though he knew deep down that his enemy was right. "You're madness was your undoing Dallon, and now all that exists will pay the price of it." "Not if we can help it!" shouted someone from behind them. Everyone turned around to see Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, all of them ready to attack. "Give it all you've got, my Brothers! We must subdue him before all is lost!" Giratina exclaimed, "Shadow Ball!" "Spatial Rend!" Palkia shouted. "Roar of Time!" Dialga roared. The three of them launched their attacks all at once and struck Arceus, but the Alpha pokemon released a powerful blast of energy that not only nullified the attacks but did massive damage to the trio. "No way! He's too strong!" Dialga shouted. "We can't stop him, we're too late!" Palkia exclaimed. The trio barely stood back up, a testament to Arceus' infinitesimal power and will. The Original One then shot high into the air and began raining energy down upon the world. "We can't stop him…" Dallon muttered in disbelief, "My dream…my _purpose_! Was it all just a lie!" "No, just misguided" Mewtwo replied as he looked up at Arceus as he continued to ascend. "Maybe no one can stop him…" Mewtwo said, "But I have to try!" "Mewtwo, don't do it!" Sarah exclaimed, running over to him and pulled her towards him, "You promised me you would never leave me! If you confront Arceus, you'll be killed!" "If I _don't_ do this, it won't matter anyway! _Nobody_ would survive!" Mewtwo replied. Sarah's eyes began tearing up as she looked up into his eyes. "Sarah…I was engineered for battling, and to be the best at it in existence..." Mewtwo said as he looked into her eyes, "I have to do this Sarah. For you, the world, the _Universe_…I may never see you again, but if that's what it takes, then so be it…" Sarah stared into Mewtwo's eyes and, like before, was bombarded with how many emotions she sensed, but unlike the self-doubt, anger and loss she had sensed when they first met, she sensed many other things. He was sad that he would have to leave her, but there was also a sense of acceptance, but most of all, a fiery determination that made Sarah realize that as much as she hated to accept it, Mewtwo had to do this, because if he couldn't, then no one could. "Then I know I'll never regret this" Sarah said before placing a tender kiss right on his lips. She wanted the moment to last forever, but all too soon, she snapped back to reality, and reality demanded that Mewtwo leave her in order to save reality from destruction. "Goodbye Sarah…" Mewtwo said as he stepped back and looked straight up. _Here goes nothing…_ Mewtwo thought as he charged up his aura and launched skywards, seemingly nothing more than a violet streak in the sky. By now, the Black Hole had blocked out the sun's light turning the day to night. Two bright stars could be seen against this background, one stationary, the other moving towards it rapidly. Everyone else on the ground looked up at this, but Sarah could see something else. Due to her being so close to Mewtwo, she could see what he saw down to every detail, and she knew she would never forget what was about to happen.

Mewtwo continued to ascend, higher and higher through the atmosphere, the air growing thinner every second. Mewtwo didn't really need to breathe, as he could sustain himself for a month on a single breath in necessary, or at least that was the theory. As he broke through the top of the atmosphere and into space, he looked down on the world below and was mesmerized by the view. It was breathtaking how the world looked from so high up, but he knew he didn't have time to enjoy the view. He stopped ascending and found himself barely two hundred yards away from Arceus, the energy emanating from him nearly overwhelming Mewtwo. "I'm sorry it had to come to this Arceus, but I must stop you for the sake of all that you made!" Mewtwo shouted as he called upon his full power, charging up his Aura until he seemed to blaze with it, much how Arceus appeared at the moment. Finally, at long last, the two charged forward at blinding speed, and the fight to the finish had begun.

Arceus struck Mewtwo first, sending him flying downwards, but Mewtwo was able to stop his fall using friction from the upper atmosphere to change his course. "Take this!" Mewtwo shouted as he launched Aura Sphere. Arceus suddenly changed color as it changed to the ghost type, nullifying Mewtwo's attack. "This is going to be difficult…" Mewtwo muttered as Arceus attacked again with Hyper Beam. Mewtwo evaded the attack but was struck as Arceus used it again. Much to Mewtwo's chagrin, Arceus was strong enough he didn't need to recharge from attacks like most others. Arceus then attacked him again, this time with Draco Meteor. Without realizing what he was doing, Mewtwo launched a massive energy blade at them, shattering them before they could strike him. _I just used Spatial Rend!_ Mewtwo thought, _Then THAT means…_ Arceus attacked again, this time using Dialga's signature attack, Roar of Time. Mewtwo raised his arms towards Arceus and used Roar of Time as well, the attacks colliding in a spectacular explosion that lit up the sky for all watching below. Mewtwo knew that the entire world would be watching by now; he could not fail, not matter what the cost. Arceus used Spatial Rend, but Mewtwo teleported out of the way before he disappeared. Anticipating Mewtwo to use Aura Sphere, Arceus changed again to a ghost type, but he was wrong. "Shadow Force!" Mewtwo shouted as he reappeared and struck Arceus directly for a critical hit. The Alpha pokemon recoiled away from the attack, but was far from defeated.

Meanwhile, all of Mewtwo's comrades watched below as the battle unfolded, the two of them appearing as nothing more than bright meteors shooting across the sky at unheard-of speeds, bright flashes of light that illuminated the entire sky to the horizon signifying an attack. "I've never seen fighting this fierce!" Dialga exclaimed in disbelief. "Even Dialga and I haven't fought against each other that hard!" Palkia interjected, "And we're brothers, we're _supposed_ to fight!" Giratina rolled his eyes and muttered, "And you two wonder why our father considers me the mature one…" Giratina noticed Sarah in a near trance-like state and immediately knew that Mewtwo was showing her the battle from his perspective. He then looked back up at the sky and said, "For the sake of us all, _please_ do not fail Mewtwo. Our fate is in your hands…"

Back in space, Mewtwo and Arceus were fighting even harder now, exchanging blows every other second as Roar of Time, Spacial Rend and Judgment attacks arched across the heavens, reflecting the violence one would expect between _armies_, but this was the work of only two: a god and a living immortal, near equals in this battle. Arceus fired Judgment at Mewtwo, this one being too close to evade. Mewtwo took the entire force of the blow, but managed to weaken it somewhat using a barrier. _Arceus is even stronger than I thought!_ Mewtwo thought _…No, I can't give up! I will NEVER give up! Justice is on my side!_ Mewtwo counter-attacked with Dark Pulse, the attack stunning Arceus for a brief moment and giving Mewtwo the opening he needed to even the odds. Mewtwo slammed into him using Shadow Force, but Arceus still would not fall. Arceus fired a massive blast of energy at Mewtwo, Mewtwo firing another at Arceus. They collided in a massive explosion that threw both of them away from each other. Both of them recovered and for the first time in the battle, they paused, assessing each other's defenses while assessing their own condition. _I can't go on like this…_ Mewtwo thought, _But Arceus is too powerful, I can't defeat him!_ Suddenly, an idea came to Mewtwo's mind; he had thought of it before, but only as a last resort. The only way he could hope to defeat Arceus was to unleash all of his power in a single blast, but although he would have a _slight_ chance of defeating Arceus, it wasn't guaranteed. However, it was a certainty that he would not survive, as using it would result in him losing the ability to keep his speed up, and so he would reenter the atmosphere and would be incinerated. It was a painful truth knowing that in order for everyone else to live, he had to die, but if there was any other way, he would know it. At that moment, Arceus unleashed Judgment once more. Mewtwo blocked the attack, his barrier just barely holding back the energy of Arceus' wrath. _It's now or never!_ Mewtwo thought as he began to close the distance with Arceus despite the attack. His barrier began to falter as the attack became more and more intense, but Mewtwo had to hold on until he could do what needed to be done. He could feel the attack breaking through, but his determination to ensure Sarah's safety, the one thing he held on to even now in the end, kept him going despite the pain. _This is it!_ Mewtwo thought as he grabbed onto Arceus. "!" Mewtwo roared as he released a literal supernova of pure energy in a massive explosion that for a moment was so bright it would have outshone the Sun. The Black Hole slowly began to fade and ultimately disappeared as the shockwave slammed into it. The explosion launched Arceus back into the atmosphere and slammed him into the ground near where he had appeared near the Genesis device. The battle was over, and Mewtwo looked back down upon the world in triumph, but then, he felt his power fading away.

He was fading away, as he knew he would, but that did nothing to change the fact that it was still a shocking realization to him that he was dying. _Is it over?_ Sarah asked him telepathically. _It is done…_ Mewtwo said, _Sarah…I'm sorry._ _For what?_ Sarah replied. _I'm sorry, but I won't return to you…I'm fading away…_ Mewtwo said as a painful shock ripped through him, signaling to him his time was near. _What…you're dying! Mewtwo, no! I can't go on without you!_ Sarah exclaimed. _You can and you WILL go on Sarah!_ Mewtwo replied forcefully, _My fate has been sealed, but yours is up to you…go on without me, live a long and happy life…just keep me close…in your heart, your memories, and your soul, and I will always be with you…_ As Mewtwo closed his eyes in preparation for what was to come, he had flashbacks of his life, starting with his first awakening, then moving on to his training, the battle with Aranam and the fall of the Order of Arcceonn Knights. Then he saw when Axxon found him years later and made him his 'apprentice', then his fights against Darkrai and Raynar. Finally, he remembered meeting Sarah, growing closer to her, and finally the moment of their final farewell before the battle. "I guess…life wasn't so bad in the end…" Mewtwo whispered as he felt his last reserves of energy leave him. His body began to glow, and finally, he scattered into pure energy, gone forever.

Back on the ground, Arceus staggered to his feet, dazed, but alright. "What…where am I?" Arceus said as he looked around, "What happened here?" "I'll explain later father…" Giratina replied, "But at least you're okay…" "Wait! Where's Mewtwo!" Derek exclaimed. Everyone looked around, trying to see him, but he was nowhere in sight. "Mewtwo's gone…" Sarah muttered just before she burst into tears. Raynar walked over to Sarah and tried in vain to console her. "Mewtwo…who's he?" Arceus asked. "A genetically engineered pokemon created specifically for battling" Raynar replied, "But he was a lot more than that…" Arceus shook his head and said, "You don't need to say any more. I understand now…" "Where's that Dusknoir? We'll make him pay for this!" Dialga roared angrily. "No, let him go…" Arceus replied calmly, "Even now I can sense his presence. There was no malice in his heart, he was being deceived…and I know just who it would be." "You don't mean…" Giratina responded. "Yes, I do" Arceus answered before he turned to Sarah and said, "I am sorry for your loss. From how he was described, Mewtwo sounded like a pokemon after my own heart." Sarah, who had finally stopped crying, looked up to Arceus and replied, "There's no need for an apology…" She then looked up towards the sky and added, "The Universe is safe…and I have him to think for that…"


	16. Chapter 15: Thoughts for a Lost Friend

Chapter 15 – Thoughts for a Lost Friend

_It had been about eight years since Mewtwo's death, known in history as the Second Tribulation, the first being a fight between Dialga and Palkia in the distant past. Neo-Cyclone, under command of General Burnn, was officially disbanded, its remants later becoming the Arcceonn Self-Defense Force or ASDF. Dallon Lettos' whereabouts remained unknown, but it was decided he was no longer a threat. As for Sarah…well, she settled into a new life rather smoothly…_

Back in Arcceonn City, Sarah lied down on the same hill where she and her father had watched the clouds roll by just eight years ago, the day Neo-Cyclone attacked and her journey began; to her, it seemed like it was earlier that very day. She wasn't alone then, nor was she alone now, although the one with her wasn't her father. It was a shiny Ralts, her son, and although he had more of her appearance, he had the somber lavender eyes of his father. As it turned out, Mewtwo hadn't _completely_ left her in a way. Although he was only seven years of age, he was wise beyond his years, and his intelligence had been compared to that of somebody in their late teens or early twenties; this was the main tell-tale sign of who his father was.

"What was Dad like?" he asked. Sarah sighed and replied, "Well Gavin…he was tall, strong, and very smart…but he was lonely, he didn't have any friends or family when I met him." "Oh…" Gavin replied, "Another thing…if he died before I was born, then how come I'm here?" "I'll tell you when you're older" Sarah replied with a half grin. "Aw C'mon!" Gavin complained, "You say that every time you don't want to talk about something!" "It's something you don't want to know yet…" Sarah answered. "Oh, I get it. Touchy subject huh?" Gavin said sheepishly. "Yeah…but that doesn't matter, you're still here, and that's all that matters" Sarah responded as she looked up at the night sky. Her gaze traced lines between several of the stars until she recognized an image: Mewtwo. Sarah turned away slightly as tears formed in her eyes, something Gavin noticed. "What is it?" Gavin asked in a concerned tone. "Nothing…" Sarah replied, "Just thoughts for a lost friend…" Sarah looked at the constellation one last time and smiled, remembering her father's words, "Sometimes, one finds the unexpected in the least expected form…"

The End


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